The Heroes of Tartarus
by mkay2
Summary: Grace didn't have the best life, but she was pretty sure that her life was, at least, HERS. Of course, she's wrong. Her name isn't even Grace Nageak, apparently it's Ananke. She can't even pronounce it. Grace- or Ananke?- is given a choice: to accept a quest given to her and two others by the gods themselves- a quest that is foretold to lead to her death.
1. Chapter One: The Fates

**Chapter One: ****The Fates**

**x x x**

**Unknown Cavern**

**Unknown Location**

**April 5th, 1997**

**x x x**

A hooded figure made her way through dark caves in a hurry, glancing over her shoulder as if to check for pursuit. The figure carried a newborn swaddled in white and supported by a piece of pink fabric tied around her shoulder. The figure wrapped slender, feminine arms around the baby, like she wanted to protect the newborn from the world, as if simply breathing in the air was fatal.

Bright green light flickered off the walls up ahead, but the figure didn't slow. She started to walk faster, desperate to reach her destination. Her hood slipped off, revealing a gorgeous woman. Her skin was porcelain and flawless, and had its own luminance. She seemed to radiate her own light. She had two bright blue eyes, surrounded with lush lashes and framed with perfect eyebrows. Her lips were full and pale pink. Her golden blonde hair shined. She was gorgeous, but in the harsh lighting, her flaws were obvious. Her exhaustion was evident through deep rings and wrinkles under her eyes. She walked as if every step pained her. Her hair was oily and knotted, and pulled back in a messy ponytail. It looked as if it hadn't been washed in a couple of days. A bejeweled circlet sat in her hair, but it was askew. Still, she was more gorgeous than any woman in existance.

Generally, this figure would have cared more about her appearance, but she was too concerned for her child.

The woman emerged in the clearing, her arms tightening around her daughter. Around the cavern, strings of every color hung, tangled and intertwined with each other, framing a trio of women. The first was a small toddler, the second, a middle-aged woman, and the last, an elderly woman. The young girl would spin fabric into thread before handing it off to her sister, the middle-aged woman, who would weave the thread, before passing it off to the last sister, who wielded a pair of golden scissors. Every time she cut a string, the _snip _seemed to resound all throughout the cave. The figure could almost feel in her, similar to the feeling of moving quickly and leaving your stomach behind. The elder cut a purple thread, causing the woman's baby to wake up and cry.

All three women towards the figure, who was trying to soothe her daughter.

"Hello, cousin," the middle-aged woman spoke. "It has been a long time."

"Lachesis, Clotho, Atropos" the beautiful woman spoke in a voice that was like bells, but exhaustion and sadness were evident. She stepped closer to the three females, shifting her baby from her hip so that it was slightly behind her. "It has indeed been a long time. Not long enough."

"Have you come all this way to insult us?" the little girl mocked, her voice childish. She had a slight lisp.

The woman regarded her coldly. "You know why I am here, Clotho."

"Yes," Lachesis spoke up again. "You are here for her." All four pairs of eyes fixed on the baby, making her squirm uncomfortably. Her mother stroked the white fluff on her head and stared at the three.

Lachesis pulled a light pink and silver thread from the walls and twirled it between her fingers best she could. It was only an inch or so long. "Your daughter. Ananke."

The woman trembled. "Her destiny. Can she avoid it? Is there any way to spare her from that suffering?"

The last woman, the elderly woman, cackled. "Life is suffering, goddess! If you want to spare your daughter, kill her now."

"Silence, Atropos!" Lachesis snapped as she returned Ananke's life thread to its original position. She turned back to the woman, becoming calm again. "Goddess, there is nothing you can do for your daughter. Her fate is set."

The mother made a sound of protest. "You control fate, though! Can't you change it? _Please?_ I am begging you, please help my daughter."

All three women shook their heads adamantly. "We cannot," Lachesis said firmly, but sympathetically. "Your daughter has a role to play, and, without her, there will be a hole in the fabric of the universe. Small, at first, but it will slowly spread until the entire universe is destroyed."

"You see now why we are so important," Clotho chirped childishly.

The mother drew herself to her full height, trembling with anger, fear and sadness. "I don't care," she snapped. Clotho flinched and Lachesis looked regretful, but Atropos didn't seem to care. "A mother will move heaven and earth to save her child, and I will do no less for mine."

"Then you are a fool," Atropos said bluntly. "You would destroy the world for one? Is not the loss of one is worth the saving of many?"

The woman seemed to swell with indignation. "Do not forget what you have done here, cousins. I will not forget what you have condemned my daughter to suffer." The woman glowed with a bright light. "I swear it on the Styx: I will do anything in my power to spare my daughter of her suffering, destined or not."

The woman vanished in a shower of golden sparks, returning the cavern to its previous darkened state. The three women glanced at each other, communicating through their glances. After many millenia together, they knew how to read each other well.

"Ananke must fulfill her destiny," Lachesis insisted quietly. "No matter what."

"We will make it so," Atropos added darkly.

x x x


	2. Chapter Two: The Olympian Council

**Chapter Two: The Olympian Council**

**x x x **

**Mount Olympus**

**New York City, New York**

**December 21st, 2014**

**x x x**

Aphrodite glared at anyone who dared to come close to her over her golden goblet of nectar. Usually, the godly drink would taste like liquid gold, but today, it just tasted metallic, like blood. Aphrodite took one large gulp, and had to force herself to swallow instead of spitting it out.

Usually, the goddess loved a party, but today was the exception. It was December 21st, the Winter Solstice, a day when all of the Olympian Council, along with Hades and Hestia, met. _Gods, as if sitting through that was bad enough! _Aphrodite moaned to herself. She made her way to the refreshments conjured by Dionysus and traded her nectar for something stronger. As a goddess, she couldn't get drunk, but she could always try. Either way, it was nice to have something to take the edge off a little bit.

Drinking heavily from her goblet, she retreated to a corner, leaning up against a column and glaring murderously at anyone who had the misfortune of coming close to her, or anyone who looked too happy.

After almost eighteen years, the day that she had been dreading was here. She thought back to that day a couple years ago when she had confronted the fates. It was a bold move, and she didn't know if she could follow through with her threats. Aphrodite worried that all of her effort would be for nothing. More than anything, Aphrodite worried about her daughter, Ananke.

"Thinking about that prophecy?" a voice interrupted Aphrodite's worries. "You can't deny fate, Aphrodite. It's foolish to try."

Aphrodite whipped around, nostrils flared, to glare at the speaker: Apollo. He looked weary and pained. He rubbed his face and ran a hand through his wavy blond hair. "I _have _to," she insisted. "If I can do anything to protect my child, I will!"

Apollo shook his head sympathetically, but his sympathy didn't seem genuine. It seemed more like he was trying to say, _Oh, you poor naive idiot. _"You cannot change fate. I should know," the god of prophecies said.

Aphrodite glared at him. "I don't care."

Apollo shrugged. "Suit yourself. But you might as well give up, Aph. There's nothing you can do." Aphrodite wanted to get angry, but he sounded so upset that she couldn't help but empathize with him. After all, he _was _going through the same thing she was, even if he was dealing with it better than she was.

"You're giving up," Aphrodite accused. "You're just going to let your daughter suffer."

Apollo looked both distraught and murderous. "I'd do anything to spare her the pain, but I know it's impossible. Nothing I can do will change anything. You should try to accept that."

"Go away, Apollo," Aphrodite commanded in a fatigued voice. It was a voice full of a millenia worth of pain and suffering, a voice belonging to someone who had to endure so much and couldn't cope anymore.

Apollo backed up from the goddess. "Fine. But you would do well to listen to me. Give up. You can't change destiny. It has been foretold by the oracle." Then he was gone, disappearing in the crowd. Aphrodite saw Annabeth and Percy dancing slowly together, which would have generally made her extremely happy, but now it just made her angry. _Why couldn't her daughter have a chance to fall in love, too? __That _stupid _oracle. _

Aphrodite flinched at the mention of Apollo's oracle. _That stupid, stupid,_ stupid_ mummy. _Many years ago, Apollo's oracle at Camp Half-Blood had issued another prophecy foretelling a truly horrible future for one of her children. Aphrodite figured out pretty quickly that the child of the prophecy was her baby, who was born the same day.

The words of the prophecy echoed in Aphrodite's mind, causing her skull to pound.

"_The abyss three will choose to endure, for the victory of Olympus to ensure. Monsters kept from the world above by children of harvest, light, and love. In the end, they will die, but all will return one final time." _

Aphrodite shuddered, trying to forget about the prophecy for at least a few blissful minutes. She traded her goblet of nectar for alcohol and downed it in one gulp before looking around for another.

Another goddess sat down beside her- Demeter. The goddess looked about as good as Aphrodite felt. Her posture was hunched, and her wavy dark hair looked disheveled, like she'd braided it without much care. No mortal would have noticed, but Aphrodite did. She was the goddess of beauty, after all. Demeter hunched over and wrapped her arms around her.

"In a way I'm happy it's going to be over," Demeter mumbled. Her voice was void of any emotion. "I don't want to feel like this anymore."

Aphrodite looked at the other goddess darkly. "It's just going to get worse," she predicted with absolute certainty. "We're heading into a war. Our children will no doubt be in danger. Hermes' son-" Aphrodite quickly stopped talking in case she revealed anything to the few demigods that were present. "More of my children… As if one wasn't enough…"

Demeter seemed to wilt. "I… It's times like these when I think that immortality is the worst curse at all."

Aphrodite bowed her head in agreement.

**x x x**

The Olympian Council was assembled and, as per the usual, they were arguing. All but a few unnoticed members, that is. Only Demeter, Apollo, and Aphrodite weren't involved in the Olympian sport that was screaming at each other at the top of their lungs.

Aphrodite sat on her throne, curled in on herself. Her thin arms wrapped around her chest as if to keep the contents inside in one piece. If anyone had been paying attention, they could have seen her trembling from miles away. Her eyes were wide and glassy, and looked shattered. Her lips were tinged with blue. Her breathing came in ragged but quiet gasps, and she shuddered every time she inhaled. Aphrodite was having the closest thing that a god could have to a panic attack. The goddess of beauty was not looking so beautiful, but she didn't care.

Apollo sat rigidly on his throne, every muscle taut with tension. His hands clenched the gold metal of the armrests so hard that his knuckles blanched and the chair started to crack. His dead blue eyes stared off into space, looking at something miles away, something that wasn't really there. His lips were white from the pressure he was pressing them together with. Artemis noticed her brother's tension and worried. From her own throne, where she was preoccupied in an argument with Dionysus, she would glance over at Apollo and away. Despite enduring centuries of nagging and insisting that _he _was the older sibling, Apollo was still family, and Artemis worried for him.

Demeter sat in between the feuding Poseidon and Zeus. She was trying to keep up an image of calmness and seriousness, but the way her cleched fists were shaking in her lap gave her away. She kept her eyes fixed on a point across the room, trying to ignore all that was happening around her. She sat rigidly in her throne, head held high, but she swayed back and forth as if she couldn't quite muster the strength to keep herself upright. Her brown eyes were vacant of any expression and her face resembled snow.

"Enough!" Athena finally roared from her seat. The Olympians quieted and turned to the wisdom goddess, all except for Aphrodite, Demeter, and Apollo. Aphrodite's eyes kept darting all over the throne room, while Apollo and Demeter kept staring unblinkingly. "There are more important things to discuss. The prophecy."

Aphrodite let out a choked sob, but all of the council members ignored her. Hephaestus looked over and huffed impatiently. Aphrodite became angry with her husband, but knew why he was so indifferent. Hephaestus wasn't someone who valued people very much. Despite being married to the love goddess, he didn't understand the concept of having a connection with another human, one of the reasons why his marriage with Aphrodite was so… He was never good with people and emotions and prefered to stick to his machines. He was logical, and intuitive, and solved problems with reasoning instead of emotions. He didn't understand why Aphrodite cared so much. He was also irritated that he would have to deal with his inconsolable wife later. Ares would ditch her, just like he always did when she was emotional.

"For those of whom have forgotten, the prophecy was this: t_he abyss three will choose to endure, for the victory of Olympus to ensure. Monsters kept from the world above by children of harvest, light, and love. In the end, they will die, but all will return one final time_," Athena recited. "At previous meetings, we have determined that this prophecy means that three demigods, a child of Demeter, a child of Apollo, and a child of Aphrodite, would choose to go into Tartarus during a time when our power is threatened, where they would try to prevent monsters from returning." Athena didn't remind the council of the meaning of the second to last line. She figured that it was obvious, and that it would only upset the three grieving parents more than they already were. "We had selected these three by fate: Emmy Kendrick, Trevor Oakley, and Ananke Gilbert."

Zeus, who had been listening intently to his daughter, turned to Hermes. "Retrieve them."

At these words, the parents of the three demigods seemed to break. Aphrodite finally let silent tears roll down her cheeks, and she folded in on herself even more. Apollo broke the armrests of his throne, sending gold splinters flying. Demeter sagged in defeat, her eyes filled with unshed tears and grief.

The god of messengers vanished in a flash of light, leaving the council in silence.

"The three will be remembered as heroes," Zeus vowed to their parents. "I am not happy that we must send three demigods off to die, but even we cannot deny fate. They must enter Tartarus."

**x x x **


	3. Chapter Three: Emmy Kendrick

**Chapter Three: Emmy Kendrick **

**x x x**

**Disney World**

**Orlando, Florida**

**December 21st, 2014**

**x x x**

It was the middle of December, yet Disney World's Magic Kingdom was filled to the brim. Emmy and her friends Jay, Victoria, Cate, Zach, Nicki, and Tyler had to wait forever to get in. For them, as native Floridians, the December weather was freezing, but for tourists from the Northern states, it was a pleasant sixty-eight degrees. Unlike the tourists, who were wearing t-shirts, tank tops, and shorts, Emmy and her friends wore pants and long-sleeves. Generally, nobody in Florida went to Disney in the winter- it was too cold. But after a grueling week of midterms, Emmy's group of friends decided that they could use a break.

"I say Splash Mountain first," Jay said with a bright grin.

Cate rolled her eyes at her boyfriend. "It's cold! I want to stay away from water rides." She linked her arms with his and tuned out the rest of the argument as she looked around.

"Let's just walk and see where we end up," Tyler suggested. Everybody seemed in agreement, so off they went.

Tyler sent a half smile in Emmy's direction, causing her to blush. Tyler and Emmy had been friends since the fifth grade, but Emmy has had a crush on him since eighth grade, when he seemed to transform overnight. Ever since last year, when they'd gone to prom together- just as friends- they had started to become something more. They weren't quite dating. They hadn't even actually admitted to each other that they liked each other, but they acted as if they were more than friends.

Victoria wiggled her eyebrows in Emmy's direction. Emmy huffed and shoved her, but she was grinning.

"Haunted Mansion!" Zach yelled suddenly, running off in that direction. If Emmy thought that _she _was ADHD, Zach was a disaster. That kid was practically too ADHD to function. "C'mon, c'mon, c'mon!" He almost ran into a little toddler with short black hair and grey eyes. "Sorry, kid!" He yelled. The boy might've been upset, but he was too appalled and mystified to do anything other than stare after the teenager.

"Don't hurt any children!" Cate yelled as the rest of the group chased after their friend.

Hermes watched the group run off with a smirk. He was leaning up against a tree in the shade of the customer service building, trying to remain inconspicuous as possible. He hadn't bothered changing from his formal Greek attire, but the mist prevented any mortal from seeing anything.

His smile faded as he remembered why he was here. He had to collect the young demigod, that daughter of Apollo- Emmy- and bring her to Olympus. There, she would choose to go into Tartarus, and, eventually, she would die. Usually, the gods didn't care all too much about mortals, but everyone was reluctant to condemn three demigods to such a fate.

Hermes was sort of surprised at the way Apollo, Demeter, and Aphrodite had acted earlier. He didn't think any of them cared all too much about their children- he'd allowed a bunch of them to stay in his cabin for a while now- so the fact they cared so much about Emmy, Ananke, or… whatever that other kid's name was… was surprising.

With a groan he pushed off the tree and straightened, catching the attention of a little boy nearby- the one that Emmy's friend had nearly collided with. The boy was with his father, baby sister, and a woman who Hermes supposed was his mother. _Step-mother, _Hermes realized. The kid had short, black hair and startling grey eyes that currently looked like they were going to pop out of his head as he stared at the god- he could see through the Mist. One of Athena's spawn. He made a mental note to contact camp to send out a satyr. He smiled at the boy, mischief dancing in his eyes, before putting a finger to his lips and vanishing.

**x x x **

Emmy pulled her fleece jacket up to cover her mouth as she waited behind her friends in line. The group was getting odd looks from the tourists for their cold-weather attire. To them, though, this _was _cold weather. Emmy was wearing a fleece jacket, pants, and Ugg boots.

She sighed and ran a hand through her dark hair. It was slightly longer than it had been over the summer, when she'd gotten a pixie cut. Now, it was grown out and somewhere in between a crop and a bob. Emmy pushed her bangs to the left.

"You okay, Em?" Tyler asked jovially. "You've been quiet."

Emmy shook her head. "No, no, I'm fine, sorry."

She turned back to her friends and immersed herself in their conversation about some new movie that just came out that they were hoping to see soon. She didn't bother telling them about the man she'd seen in line behind them that seemed to be wearing some sort of Roman outfit. She figured that, since no one else was making a big deal out of it, she shouldn't either. Besides, this was Disney World. People were allowed to dress like Roman royalty if they wanted to.

The doors creaked open ominously, and the group were the first ones ushered into the mansion. They moved to the very back, where they knew the trapdoor would open up (they'd been here before. That's kind of a given when you live a few miles away).

A mysterious and creepy-sounding male voice began to speak, _"When hinges creak in doorless chambers, and strange and frightening sounds echo through the halls; whenever candlelights flicker where the air is deathly still- that is the time when ghosts are present, practicing their terror with ghoulish delig__ht!"_

Zac added an evil laugh afterwards, making Cate and Emmy punch him.

"Don't be stupid," Cate hissed.

The doors closed behind them, trapping them in the black of the foyer. The only light came from the slight glow of the picture on the wall. Emmy could just barely see the appalled face of the Roman guy as he surveyed his surroundings.

x x x

Hermes didn't know what to make of this new development. He'd followed Emmy and her friends into some building, only to be led into the dark and trapped. Sure, he wasn't an idiot, he knew what amusement parks and theme parks were, but he'd never seen any ride like _this._ His experience was limited to the generic rides: rollercoasters, bumper cars, water slides, and those towers that would lift people up before releasing them and letting them fall. He wasn't expecting… well, this.

He listened to the recorded script in bewilderment. _Was is this place? __Ghosts? Ghoulish Delight? What? _

Another door opened, and Hermes couldn't hide his relief. He made a beeline for the light, his armor clanking, elbowing mortals out of the way. He made it into the strange hexagonal room, looking up at the painted walls in absolute befuddlement. The only people to enter before him were Emmy and her friends. Her friends ignored him, but Emmy was watching him with… Wait, was that _amusement? _

That demigod thought it was funny to see him so out of his element! Hermes scowled at her and stuck his tongue out, which wasn't so mature, but, hey, it was better than smiting her.

As the rest of the mortals filed in, the voice spoke again: _"Welcome foolish mortals-" _Hermes huffed with indignation. He was _not _a foolish mortal! _"-to the Haunted Mansion. I am your host, your… ghost host." _Hermes grumbled. _How clever, _he thought sarcastically. _"Kindly step all the way in please and make room for everyone. There's no turning back now." _

Suddenly, Hermes wanted nothing more than to be out of this creepy house as soon as he possibly could. Unfortunately, he had to keep an eye on Emmy, and it was probably easiest to grab her in a dark place like this.

The door slid shut, trapping him in the gallery with around twenty other people. The god suddenly realized that he was claustrophobic.

_"Our tour begins here in this gallery where you see paintings of some of our guests as they appeared in their corruptible, mortal state," _the voice continued. Hermes snorted quietly in agreement. He didn't realize that a certain demigod was still watching him, trying to understand his strange behaviors and reactions. _"Your cadaverous pallor betrays an aura of foreboding, almost as though you sense a disquieting metamorphosis." _Hermes looked around in confusion. He didn't see anything, nor did he sense anything strange… Oh wait. Looking up, Hermes noticed the ceiling rising, the paintings moving up from behind the wood panelling. _"Is this room actually stretching? Or is it your imagination, hmm? And consider this dismaying observation- this chamber has no windows and no doors, which offers you this chilling challenge: to find a way out! Of course there's always my way." _A sudden crash of thunder and piercing scream caused the god to jerk violently in surprise.

A small panel opened up on the wall, and Hermes shoved his way out. People complained as he elbowed and kneed, but he didn't care. He wanted out.

Ugh, this was humiliating. Here he was, an Olympian God, terrified of an amusement ride! He, Hermes, who had talked his way out of punishment to Apollo when he was just a baby! _Him! _

With that thought, Hermes stiffened his resolve and straightened, gathering all of his courage. He stood at the end of the portrait hallway, trying to even his breathing. The demigod, Emmy, walked past, looking back at him with her eyes- exact copies of Apollo's blue ones- dancing with mirth. _She's laughing at me! _Hermes realized in outrage.

Hermes stalked after her angrily. Another script began, but he tuned it out. _That stupid recording. _He reached a room with a bunch of carts in it, and felt himself relax a bit more. _So it _is _kind of like a rollercoaster, _he realized. The familiarity made him feel a little bit better.

Hermes ignored the safety warnings and made his way into a carriage. To his confusion, he was followed by Emmy, who plopped herself down with a huff.

"Uh, hello?" he asked her. He hadn't expected it to be this easy. All he had to do was touch her and teleport to Mount Olympus.

"Hey, sorry, hope you don't mind, my group's got an odd number," Emmy said easily, and Hermes could almost picture her father, Apollo, in her place. She was a _lot _like him, but he wasn't sure if that was a good or bad thing. "I'm Emmy."

"Uh… Hector." It was a weird, random name, but it would work.

"Huh, now that's a name you don't hear everyday," Emmy mused. "Kind of like the Trojan, right?"

"Yeah," Hermes replied, surprised that a teenager would know about the heroes of the Trojan War- at least, any of the heroes besides Achilles. Seriously, that dude got famous because of his heel.

"Kind of ironic, y'know, since you're dressed like…" Emmy trailed off and gestured at Hermes' getup. "Is there some sort of convention going on?"

Hermes grinned at the thought. "Of sorts," he said mischievously. The convention just happened to be the Olympian Council meeting, but he wasn't going to tell her that.

"So, you looked pretty freaked back there," Emmy said, raising an eyebrow.

Hermes scowled. "It took me by surprise!" he insisted. "That's all!"

"Suuuuure."

"It did!" Hermes turned pink when he realized that he was whining. "Oh, gods."

The duo entered the mansion, into a hall of doors. They fell silent. Hermes was wondering when he should take Emmy- gods, that sounded _wrong. _He figured he might as well let her enjoy the ride one last time. After all, she was going to die soon. Might as well enjoy the time she had left.

Hermes looked around the ride in bewilderment. "What kind of rollercoaster is this?"

Emmy laughed. "It's not so much a rollercoaster. It's more like… a haunted house that you ride carts through."

Hermes grumbled.

"You act like you've never seen anything like this before," Emmy chuckled. Hermes grunted. "You haven't!"

The god glared at her angrily, but she didn't flinch.

"Well, you are in for a ride," Emmy said smugly. "This is one of my favorite rides."

"It's stupid," Hermes pouted stubbornly.

Emmy rolled her eyes at him, but smiled. She stayed silent for a while, experiencing the ride. Hermes tried to enjoy himself, but he didn't understand why mortals could _like _something like this. Hermes had seen the undead (he stopped at Hades' palace in the Underworld frequently due to his job) and they looked _nothing _like what this Disney thought.

When the ride began to come to an end, Emmy turned back to Hermes, only for him to put a hand on her shoulder. He looked at her apologetically.

"Sorry about this," he said quietly.

Emmy looked terrified, but annoyed at the same time. "Seriously? You are _not _going to do what I think you are, right?"

"Probably not," Hermes said wryly.

They both disappeared in a flash of light, then reappeared in the throne room of Mount Olympus. Emmy stared around, her mouth open, before turning back to Hermes. She pointed furiously at him- specifically at his outfit- before pointing back at the other gods and goddesses.

The Olympians waited for her to say something. They didn't expect the first thing that she said would be, "Your name isn't really Hector, is it?"

x x x

AUTHOR's NOTE

_so, i decided to set this at disney… i thought that it would be most likely for a kid of apollo- god of light- to be somewhere sunny, so i thought of florida, then disney and… whatever. anyway, i couldn't resist having hermes go through the haunted mansion:b_

_DISCLAIMER: the script i used for the speaker in the haunted mansion is directly from the ride and belongs to disney. i didn't write it. haunted mansion and everything disney-related does not belong to me, it belongs to disney. also, i do not own percy jackson, rick riordan does. i DO, however, own my characters: Emmy, Ananke, and Trevor. _

_Please, review. I really want to know how I'm doing. If I don't get enough support, i won't continue this story. so please, show your support!_

_-kay_


	4. Chapter Four: Trevor Oakley

**Chapter Four: Trevor Oakley**

**x x x**

**Hallowed Oakes Farm **

**Fairfield, Iowa **

**December 22nd, 2014**

**x x x **

Trevor grumbled angrily as he pulled his wool hat down further over his head and pulled up his hood again- It had blown off in the wind. The family goats, Bert and Ernie, nudged him, trying to get him to set down their food bucket.

"Hang on, guys, hang on," Trevor groaned as he bent over to give the eager animals their food.

Generally, Trevor loved helping out at his family's farm, Hallowed Oaks, but the temperature today was sub-zero with wind chill. His grandparents couldn't work in such weather, so he and his dad were forced to take care of everything.

Trevor had on a thick down ski jacket, another jacket, a sweatshirt, and a longsleeve shirt, with snowpants, two pairs of sweatpants, and a full set of footie long johns. He was also wearing his thick boots and four pairs of socks, not to mention two pairs of gloves, a hat, and a scarf. Even with all that, Trevor was freezing.

Generally, winters in Iowa weren't this brutal, but this year, for some reason, the temperatures had been record lows. Trevor's family worried about the spring- the harsh winter could possibly kill all of their crop.

A walkie-talkie buzzed in the ski jacket's pocket. Trevor fumbled to pull out the device before clicking it on. The Oakley's farm wasn't huge, but it was big enough to need some way of communicating. They'd tried cell phones, but those tended to get broken. It was better to use a walkie-talkie, which cost, at the most, fifty bucks.

"_Trevor, I need you to take care of the South Barn," _his father's voice crackled. "_I've run into a snag in the North Barn. Some cows got into some trouble." _

Trevor groaned. The South Barn was nice, and it was where his horse, Achilles, was kept, which was nice, but the South Barn also housed Rupert, a very belligerant rooster that seemed to hate Trevor from the moment they met. _Well, _Trevor amended. _He _did _step on Rupert's tail in his excitement to meet such a bird. _

"No problem, Dad," Trevor responded anyway.

There wasn't time for complaints or whining, besides, his dad didn't deserve it. Jackson Oakley had raised Trevor by himself for years, stuggling to find agricultural work until they both decided to help out at his grandparents' farm. Trevor never knew his mom, but his father just told him that she was a farmer, too. Jackson had said that she died in a car accident, but no matter how much Trevor looked, there were no records of his mother- Georgiana Amaranth. As far as Trevor could tell, his mother seemed to have never existed.

Trevor trudged through the snowfall to the South Barn, keeping an eye out for psychotic poulty. Luckily, Rupert seemed to be nowhere in sight. That also made Trevor uneasy, though. Rupert could be _anywhere_. Trevor was almost waiting for the moment when the stupid bird would streak out of the barn like a ballistic missile to attack him.

No such assault emerged, up until Trevor slid the barn door open and squeezed in. He turned away from the door, facing the barn, to see a mass of bright feathers coming at him.

"Rupert, no!" Trevor pleaded. "Come on!" He darted out of the way, kicking at the bird warningly. "Stupid… bird…" he grunted with each kick.

A chuckle caused Trevor to look up in alarm, freezing in place. Rupert triumphantly attacked the frozen boy. Trevor reached out and with a swiftness he didn't know he had, grabbed the rooster by the feet.

"Got'cha!" he hissed.

He turned back to the strange man that was currently lounging in the haybales. He was wearing a white kilt with a gold breastplate, shin, and arm guards. He must have been freezing, but he didn't seem to be affected by the cold. He held a phone in one hand and a cadeceus in the other. His hair was dark, peppered with a few lighter streaks, and he had a mischevious smile and upturned eyebrows. That with his sparkling eyes made him seem as if he knew some horribly embarrasing secret about you, or as if he was about to swipe your wallet. Luckily, all Trevor had was a walkie-talkie and handwarmers.

"You might not want to do that," Trevor said, deadpanned. He was a little freaked as to why this strange man dressed like some sort of Greco-Roman warrior was hanging out in his barn in the middle of winter, but figured that throwing a fit wouldn't get him anywhere. He _was _shaking, though, even if he wouldn't admit it. "There's a lot of rodents that hang around in the hay."

"Yeah, I already met them," the man said, looking down at the hay, not seeming bothered at all.

_Oooookay…. _Trevor thought. _This guy definitely had a screw loose. _

"Right," Trevor chose to say. He shoved the squirming rooster into its crate before turning to Achilles, his palomino haflinger. "How's it goin', Ace? Keeping warm?"

Ace shook his mane and huffed, blowing air out of his mouth, his lips flapping.

"That bad, huh?" Trevor grinned, but it was halfhearted. He was still worried about the stranger currently watching him from the hay bales. Inside his jacket, his fingers closed around his walkie-talkie.

The man behind him cleared his throat. "Sorry about these winters," he said conversationally. "Demeter was pretty pissed, seeing how it upset the agricultural production here, but Aphrodite insisted. Somebody probably insulted her around here or something; she always has been vengeful and vain."

Trevor stared at him uncomprehendingly. "That's a joke, right?"

Hermes didn't say anything, just winked. He turned to another topic. "What'd you ever do to that rooster to get it so mad at you?"

Trevor rolled his eyes and kicked Rupert's cage, causing the rooster to squawk. "Who knows? The stupid thing has hated me since it laid eyes on me. And the feeling is mutual."

"Huh," the man said.

Trevor became annoyed with their idle chit-chat. "Who are you anyway? Why the hell are you hanging out in a barn in Iowa wearing _that _in the middle of winter?"

"You can call me Hector for now." His lips twitched up and his eyes sparkled, as if he was in on some joke that Trevor had missed. "As for why I'm here… Well, I'm looking for you, of course."

Trevor immediately became wary. "Why?" he demanded.

Hector sighed. "I represent a… uh, council… that needs you to do a job."

"What kind of job?" Trevor demanded. What sort of council would purposely seek out a dyslexic, ADHD farmboy to do something for them? Who wants _anything _with a farm boy?

Hermes winced. "If you come with me, you'll get all the details."

Trevor glared at the man stonily. He clenched his fists in an attempt to get them to stop shaking. He wasn't sure if he was angry, afraid, or something else. "I'm not going anywhere with you."

Hector surveyed the boy regretfully. "I'm sorry, you don't have a choice. You don't have to do the job if you don't want, if that's any consolation."

Trevor glared at the man. "It's not."

The man groaned as he jumped to his feet. Trevor's eyes widened as he backed away, pulling his walkie talkie out of his pocket. He tried to contact his dad, but the device cackled with static.

"Really?" Trevor hissed.

Hector chuckled. "Sorry."

Trevor looked at him funny, before chucking the walkie-talkie at his head and running for the door. He probably taken two steps when he felt a hand grip his shoulder and a feeling of being dissolved into a million pieces.

**x x x**

The two men reappeared in the middle of the Olympian throne room a minute later, a few feet away from the terrified Emmy. When she saw Hermes with another teenager, she glared at him.

Trevor's jaw dropped and his eyes widened as he stared around the throne room. He tried desperately to make his brain work, but it seemed to be short-circuiting due to his shock.

"Wh-What… uh?" he mumbled.

Hector smiled at him kindly. "Take your time, buddy."

**x x x**

_**thank you for reading! school is ending soon for me, so hopefully ill be able to update more. im really looking forward to this story… **_

_**anyway, please review! i REALLY REALLY apreciate all the people that reviewed for past chapters! keep it up; i love to hear what you think! tell me how **_**_I'm doing!_**

**_uh, i should probably do that disclaimer thing..._**

**_disclaimer: i do not own PJO/HOO_**

**_-kay_**


	5. Chapter Five: Grace Nageak

**Chapter Five: Grace Nageak**

**x x x **

**Isatkoak Lagoon**

**Barrow, Alaska **

**December 21st, 2014 **

**x x x**

Grace Nageak knew she was risking hypothermia in the sub-zero temperature of her hometown of Barrow, Alaska, but she didn't care. She couldn't be cooped up in her house any longer.

There was nothing wrong with her family or her house, but, during the harsh winter, all five members of the family would be cooped up in their tiny cottage for three entire months. Nobody wanted to go outside into the cold. On a good day, the temperature was around negative twenty degrees farenheit. And that was a _good _day.

Grace loved her family, but she was also extremely introverted and probably the farthest person from a 'people-person' you'd ever meet. Her mom, Isobel, was nice and motherly and all that, but she was horribly authoritarian. Grace liked to think that she had kids to order them around. Their dad, Augustus, spoiled his three children rotten, but seemed sullen and more unhappy as time went on. Grace told tell that their marriage was suffering, even though they didn't. Augustus worked at the Iñupiat Heritage Center, a facility for the Native American tribe, the Iñupiat.

Grace and her family were all descendants. Grace's two little brothers, Mateo, who was three, and Jacks, who was two, hated to be cooped up in the house as much as Grace did, but unlike their older sister, they couldn't sneak out. So they settled for releasing their energy by running around the house screaming at the top of their lungs.

It drove Grace absolutely insane.

Her _ahna _and _ataata _lived with them also, her grandfather and grandmother, which was _way _to many people for one tiny house in Grace's opinion. Saaŋiaq and Alma were great, but Grace really got tired of being shoved in a corner to make room for everyone. _  
_

Sometimes, if the weather was really bad, Grace's _atchaga, _her aunt, Frances, and her husband would stay at the house too. It was all too much.

So Grace, after pulling on the majority of her closet, slipped out of the house and made her way to her favorite place on earth: Isatkoak Lagoon. She didn't know why, but something about the place made her feel… separate. She'd always longed for something… more than her normal life in Alaska, and being in a place that looked untouched and serene gave her a little bit of that wish.

"Ugh… "Grace whined, rubbing her hands together. She had three pairs of gloves on, with hand warmers under each layer, but it didn't eradicate the cold completely. "_Alappaa…" _Grace didn't speak the so-called 'language of her people' often, but she'd say a few phrases now and again. _Alappaa _was Iñupiaq for _it's cold. _

She walked along the path, crossing her arms across her chest and hugging herself tightly. _"Alappaa…"_ Grace repeated in a groan.

But she was alone for once, so she tried to ignore the feeling of numbness in her limbs.

Grace was suddenly blinded by a bright light that flashed about ten feet further down the path. Grace gasped as she felt herself heat up as the light intensified and sighed in happiness. Then the light died away, leaving Grace just as cold as ever… but slightly more terrified.

The light faded to reveal three figures: a young girl, a middle-aged woman, and an _ahna; _an elder. All three of them were wearing sleeveless, flowing white dresses. They seemed comfortable. Grace wasn't sure how they weren't frozen. They regarded her as if she were an ant and deciding whether or not they were going to crush her under their feet.

"Ananke Gilbert," the middle-aged woman said.

"Uh, no, sorry," Grace said warily. "I've never heard of her."

The _ahna_ grinned wickedly. "You don't even recognize your own name? Ha, what's that goddess done to you?"

Grace frowned in confusion. The Iñupiat were big into animism, and believed in spirits, animal deities, and _aŋatquq, _or shamans. Grace had never heard of any goddesses.

The little girl giggled. "Doesn't know, doesn't know," she chanted.

Grace didn't know what the three were talking about. All she knew was that she was being made fun of.

And she didn't like it.

"Would you quit making fun of me and actually explain to me what's going on?" Grace demanded.

All three of the women looked at the girl appraisingly, as if trying to figure her out.

"It would be wise to treat us with respect," the middle-aged woman said coldly. "I am Lachesis. These are my sisters, Clotho-" she gestured to the child, "…and Atropos."

They looked at her as if that was supposed to mean something to her. "Uh, okay?"

"Ignorant girl, do they teach you nothing of mythology?" Atropos snapped.

Grace was offended. "Of course! I learned all about the myths and culture of my people!"

The goddess snorted. "No, you didn't."

Grace was about to retort when Lachesis broke in. "We aren't talking about the Iñupiat, Ananke. We're talking about the Greeks. Your mother."

"Sorry, my mother is Iñupiat," Grace explained, as if she explaining to to a five year old.

"Your _real _mother," Atropos said with an eye roll.

Grace snorted. "Isobel _is _my real mother. We look exactly alike."

Lachesis steepled her hands. "Your true mother isn't Isobel. Your mother's name is Aphrodite."

"Aphrodite," Grace repeated, deadpanned. "Of course. The Greek goddess. Duh. How silly of me?"

"Don't joke about this, little girl," Clotho said. Since she looked about half of Grace's own age, it was kind of ironic that she was calling _her _a little girl.

"Listen, Ananke," Lachesis said. "You have been given a destiny that your mother- Aphrodite- wanted to protect you from. So, she found a family whose youngest daughter had just died- the true Grace Nageak. She put you in her place. She changed your appearance and personality. She erased the families' memories of her death. She gave you Grace's memories. She made even _you _believe the lie."

"Yeah, right," Grace retorted confidently. These three women were out of their minds. A small part of Grace whispered, though, _They did just appear out of thin air. _

"It's true, Ananke," Lachesis insisted. "Here."

With a wave of her hand, the memories she'd had before she turned six disappeared, and Grace's mind seemed to explode with memories that weren't hers.

**x x x **

**The Gilbert Apartment**

**New York City, New York**

**August 4th, 2001**

**x x x**

_A small redhead covered her mouth in order to silence her breathing. With wide hazel eyes, she peeked around the corner of the door into the empty hallway, her heart beating quickly. _

_She couldn't let herself get caught. She wouldn't get caught this time, she would make sure of it. _

_"Oh, Anke, where are you?" a voice called teasingly. "Huh, I can't seem to find her. She's just too good." _

_A small giggle escaped between Ananke's fingers. _

_"Is that a laugh I hear?" her dad, Sam, called again. _

_Ananke hid back in the closet and tried to tuck herself among the coats and suits. The door suddenly blew open, revealing her father, a tall, muscular man with similar red hair and an easy smile. _

_"Ah, there she is!" he crowed, sweeping Ananke up into his arms and twirling her around. _

_The girl giggled helplessly. "Daddy, Daddy, put me down!" she giggled. "Daddy!" _

_"Alright," her father agreed, setting her on her feet again and straightening the ribbon in her hair. "I made you your favorite for lunch." _

_Ananke looked up, eyes widened comically. "Macaroni and cheese?" she breathed. _

_Sam laughed. "Of course, Anke." _

**x x x **

**Central Park**

**New York City, New York **

**October 15th, 2002 **

**x x x **

_Ananke held hands with her father as she walked along the pathway obediently, but she was bursting with excitement. She couldn't wait until they reached the playground. _

_Her father liked to keep her close, though, so she didn't get lost. She was okay with that, especially after she'd seen that scary man with one eye at school the other day. She'd tried asking her friends Melanie and Tara about it, but they just thought he was a normal guy. Another kid had told their teacher, and the teacher made him go away. __Ananke didn't want to tell anybody, but the one-eyed man scared her. She slept with her lights on ever since then._

_A few cameras flashed in the distance, but Sam shot them a glare. He was a famous model, which was how he attracted the attention of Ananke's mother. Yes, she had told him who she was. Sam still couldn't believe it. He was forced to deal with paparazzi, which he was okay with, but he didn't want to expose Ananke to any of that. He had _chosen _this life, she hadn't. _

_Ananke tugged on his arm. "It's okay, Daddy," she whispered. "I don't mind." She knew that the camera men bugged him. _

_Sam smiled at his daughter, but Ananke knew that he was still annoyed. _

_Ananke's attention shifted to the playground. "Look, Daddy, there it is!" She jumped and down and jabbed in the direction of the playground. _

_Sam smiled at his daughter. "Go ahead, Anke."_

**x x x**

**The Gilbert Apartment**

**New York City, New York**

**October 30th, 2003 **

**x x** **x**

_Ananke was in her room, sitting on her frilly pink princess bed with her ankles crossed and her hands clasped together in her lap. Some strange woman had shown up, but Daddy had told her to stay here, and he seemed really worried. Ananke didn't want to make her dad worry more. _

_She tried to do her best to stay still, but her ADHD was acting up. She just _couldn't _sit still. She jumped out of her bed and floated over to her mirror, fluffed up her long, red hair, and made __kiss-y faces. She wanted to be a model, like her daddy. _

_She heard something crash and some yelling, and jumped in alarm. _

_"Daddy?" she wondered. _

_Ananke padded over to the door and twisted the knob slowly. Then, she released it and darted back to her closet, pulling out her pointy umbrella. Only a dummy would go out without a weapon. Ananke had learned that from a horror movie she'd watched when the babysitter wasn't paying attention. Daddy hadn't been happy. _

_The little redhead peeked one hazel eye through the door crack. She saw the woman with golden hair and blue eyes begging her father, something about having to do something, and her dad looked upset. _

_"I can't, Aph, I can't give her up!" Sam was saying desperately. _

_Aph (what a weird name) looked sad. "I'm sorry, Sammy, but I _have _to hide her! You don't understand. Her fate-" _

_"I know," Sam said tiredly. He sat down hard on the couch and slammed his head into his hands. "Fine. A-At least, let me say __goodbye." His voice broke. _

_Ananke's eyes widened as she darted back towards her bed and launching herself at it. A second later, the door opened and her father and that Aph woman came in. Ananke was worried, because both of them looked like they had been crying. _

_"Daddy, what is it? What's wrong?" _

_Sam breathed out roughly. He knelt before his daughter, putting his hands on her shoulders. "You're going to have to go away for a while, okay?" Sam said thickly. _

_"Daddy, no!" Ananke protested. She was starting to cry, too. _

_"I'm sorry, sweetheart, but it'll just be for a little bit, okay? I promise you'll be fine." _

_Ananke shook her head, sobbing now. "No, no, no!" she screamed. She wasn't an idiot; she knew that no matter what her daddy said, she was going away for a long time. _

_"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry," Sam whispered as he pulled his thrashing daughter into a tight, desperate hug. "I love you, be good okay?" _

_"No!" _

_Sam stood and ran out the door. From the other rooms, Ananke could hear something smash. _

_"Hello, Ananke," Aph said sweetly. Even when she was sad and afraid, it was the prettiest voice she'd ever heard. "You are so gorgeous. I'm so proud of you." _

_"Don't make me go away," Ananke cried. _

_Aph sighed. "It's for your own protection. I promise you will be safe there, and you'll be happy, okay?"_

_"I don't trust you." Ananke jutted her chin out stubbornly. _

_Aph smiled sadly. "You can, sweetheart. I'm your mother." _

_Ananke's eyes widened, but she didn't say anything. She was too surprised. _

_"Just go to sleep, okay? I'll wake you when we arrive." Ananke didn't want to, but her supposed-mother's voice was soothing and relaxing. She felt herself sway, and somewhere in the back of her mind she realized that she'd fallen sideways onto her bed. Her eyes drifted closed, and she was asleep. _

_Aphrodite sighed. She hated doing this to Ananke and to Sam, but she _had _to, for Ananke's safety. _

_She waved a hand over her sleeping daughter, who glowed pink. The room suddenly smelled of cherry blossoms and freshly washed cotton. "My blessing," Aphrodite murmured. "Hopefully this will keep you safe." _

_And she started to work, turning her daughter into a Inupiat girl from Alaska that had just died, Grace Nageak. She'd be safe there, hidden as another girl, in the land beyond the power of the gods. Who would ever go to Grace's hometown, anyway, mortal or immortal? A summer day was considered as thirty degrees farenheit. _

_"Ύπνε, που παίρνεις τα μικρά έλα, πάρε και τούτο." Aphrodite sang the Greek lullaby in a whisper. "Μικρό- μικρό σου το 'δωσα, μεγάλο φέρε μού το."_

After she'd finished her song, both mother and daughter vanished in a flash of pink light and a shower of sparks.

**x x x**

**Isatkoak Lagoon**

**Barrow, Alaska**

**December 21st, 2014**

**x x x **

"No!" Grace said quietly. "No… No, I c-can't be… An… Anake. I'm _Grace Nageak. _I'm not Ananke! _I'm not!" _She finished in a roar.

Lachesis, at least, looked sympathetic. Atropos looked like she was enjoying Grace's- or Ananke's?- pain, and Clotho wasn't paying attention. She was twirling a pink thread in between her fingers.

"I'm sorry, dear, but it's true," Lachesis explained. "Your mother disguised you as Grace to protect you from your fate; a fate that we are here to see that you fulfill."

The blinding light flared up again, but this time, it consumed Grace (Ananke? Jeez, she really needed to figure this out) also. With one, supersonic flash, they reappeared in a completely different- warmer- location.

**x x** **x**

_please review… i want to know if i explained what aphrodite did to ananke/grace well enough. do you understand? i hope so… _

_-kay_


	6. Chapter Six: Ananke Gilbert

**Chapter Six: Ananke Gilbert **

**x x x **

**Mount Olympus**

**New York City, New York**

**December 21, 2014 **

**x x x**

Grace looked around the hall in awe. It was enormous, the size of three NBA stadiums. There were four walls- somewhere off in the distance- made of marble, embellished with ionic columns. Somewhere up above, the ceiling was decorated with mosaics that made it look like sky. Actually Grace wasn't sure if it really _was _the sky or not. In the center of the room, raised up on a platform in the shape of a _U, _were twelve giant thrones filled with giants. They were twelve large people, wearing Greek (or is it Roman) dresses or kilts and armor.

"What the…" she finished the sentence with a word that would probably cause her mom (or her adopted mom, whatever) to wash out her mouth with soap.

To her surprise, some of the giants started to laugh.

"Her reaction is by far the best!" the one tapping on his phone said. The wings on his sandals flapping feebly. He had a caduceus in his lap.

"Shut up, Hector," another girl snapped. Grace whipped around to see the speaker. She hadn't even realized that there were people behind her.

The first person was a tiny girl. Seriously, she was _really _petite. She was super skinny and had to be just around five feet. Her dark hair was short but long enough to hang in her eyes and over her ears, but she had pushed her bangs to one side and tucked them behind her ears. She had an innocent, heart shaped face with doe eyes, full lips, and round, rosy cheeks. She was pretty in a cute sort of way.

The second person was a boy with light cocoa skin and short, curly black hair. His eyes were dark and he had full lips. He was tall and muscular, but skinny. His hands were rough from manual labor. His face was smooth, but he had a strong jaw. He was standing in only a pair of long john pants rolled up to his knees and a tank top. There was a pile of winter clothing next to him.

That was a good idea. Grace was _so _hot. Plus, all of her clothing seemed to be kind of small now. She guessed that when her appearance changed, she grew taller- and skinnier. It was kind of weird. As an Inupiat girl, she'd been kind of curvy and short, but now, she seemed taller and skinnier. She wondered what she looked like.

She stripped off her layers until she was just in a t-shirt and her own pair of long johns. She nodded to the boy with a grin. "Where you from?"

"Iowa," he answered quietly.

"Hah, I got you beat," Grace snorted. "Barrow, Alaska. It's in the Arctic Circle, most Northern city in North America."

He laughed. "Suddenly, Iowa doesn't seem that bad."

One of the giants cleared their throats. He was the one sitting in the centermost throne, holding a two-foot bronze shaft with two big spikes at the end and lighning and sparks running up and down it. Grace wondered if it hurt, but the man didn't flinch. The man was wearing a white kilt with gold embroidery around the bottom. He was also wearing a gold breastplate, shin guards, and arm guards. He had black hair and a beard with streaks of silver. His eyes were stormy blue, and he carried himself as if the entire world was under his command.

Slowly, Grace looked around to each person, sizing them up. There was a stern brunette woman next to him, another man in a blue kilt holding a trident, a woman with a plumed helmet and spear with an owl on her shoulder, a bored, plump man looking longingly at a bottle of wine that a girl was pouring for a man in a full set of armor and holding a weapon the size of, uh… Grace. Another woman with luminous silver eyes and dark braided hair was staring at the three intently, as if she wanted to scan them to learn all their deepest secrets. A brutish, deformed man was fiddling with something in his lap, not paying attention whatsoever.

There were also three giants that were undeniably upset. The first was a woman was wearing an olive colored Greek styled dress with bronze jewelry. Her dark hair was messily braided with a few leaves crowning her head. She stared at them- more specifically at the boy- with grief and tears in her eyes. She shook like a leaf. The second was a man with golden skin and wavy blonde hair. He was wearing gold armor and a kilt, and holding a bow. A quiver hung on his back. He was so tense he looked like his muscles were going to pop. His eyes looked dead.

The last woman was the memory. The woman who had said that she was her mother. She looked beautiful, but she had tears spilling down her cheeks. Her entire body shuddered as she struggled to breathe. She had her arms wrapped around herself. Even in her pain, she was flawless. Her blue eyes shined with water, her skin was perfectly porcelain, and not a single strand of her golden hair was out of place.

"Mom, right?" Grace asked uncertainly. Actually, Grace wasn't sure what to call herself. At this point, all evidence pointed to the fact that she _wasn't _Grace, she was Ananke Gilbert. It wasn't that easy to just let go of Grace, though. She'd spent the majority of her life as Grace. She _was _Grace, but then again, she wasn't. She wasn't Ananke, either, was she? She seemed to have three personas jammed into her head: what Ananke would have been if she had lived her life normally, what Grace would have been if she'd lived her life normally, and what Grace/Ananke had actually turned into, a distorted combination of both.

Ananke (she might as well accept that her name _was _actually Ananke) had just learned that her entire life was a lie, and that terrified her.

_Who the hell was she?! She didn't even know anymore! _

Aphrodite smiled through her tears. "Hello, Ananke. I'm so sorry."

"Uh, correct me if I'm wrong… but you guys look like those Greek Olympian gods," Ananke said slowly. "Wait. Your name is Aphrodite." She turned back to her mother. "No way. This is a joke."

"You figured it out," said a woman with dark curls and intimidating grey eyes; the one with the plumed helmet, spear, and owl. Ananke was smart enough to conclude that this was Athena. She sounded impressed.

Ananke felt the other two teenagers come up beside her. She towered over the girl, but was about two inches shorter than the boy.

"Hold up," the boy said, raising his hands in a '_stop' _gesture. "You're trying to tell me that you all are the Greek gods."

"Right," Athena said simply. "My name is Athena."

All three demigods (although they didn't know that yet) looked like they were trying to swallow a golf ball.

"So what am I then? My mother is apparently Aphrodite. What does that make me? A demigod? Like Heracles and Perseus and stuff?" Ananke asked.

Athena nodded, taking control of the conversation since Aphrodite wasn't in any state to. "Trevor and Emmy are as well."

The boy and girl gaped at her.

"I-I'm sorry?" Emmy finally managed.

The tense man with the bow and arrows spoke up, looking over at them, and for the first time, his eyes didn't look so dead. Ananke could see love, pain, and sadness in them. "I'm your father Emmy- Apollo."

Emmy didn't know what to say.

The dark haired woman in the olive dress spoke up. "And, Trevor, I'm Demeter. I'm your mother."

"I knew you hadn't died," Trevor said victoriously. He was right. His father had lied: his mother hadn't died. No wonder he hadn't been able to find any information about her either, apparently Georgiana Amaranth hadn't existed. It was really Demeter. He wanted to be mad at his father, but he kind of understood his reasoning. He couldn't exactly tell his son that his mother was a Greek goddess- if he'd known- but he also protected Trevor, too. His father probably didn't want him to feel like his mother had abandoned him, because, right now, that's exactly what it felt like. And it hurt. He wondered if Emmy or Ananke felt the same way. He didn't know.

Demeter studied him, misery evident in her expression. "He told you I died?"

"Yes," Trevor said sternly with a raised eyebrow. "Maybe he didn't want me to feel abandoned."

The man in a sagging kilt and breastplate that barely managed to cover his beer belly groaned. "Oh here we go again." The man next to him punched him.

Demeter didn't say anything, just regarded her son sadly.

There was another flash of light and Lachesis, Atropos, and Clotho appeared in front of the demigods.

Aphrodite jumped to her feet. _"You!" _

Lachesis regarded the goddess calmly. "Sit down, Aphrodite. You have no power over us."

Aphrodite was simmering with rage. Hephaestus and Ares on either side of her had to pull her back into her throne.

"We have found the final hero. Despite Aphrodite's best efforts, she could not be hidden from us," Lachesis announced.

Aphrodite was now sobbing into her hands. _She'd failed. _

"Shall we begin?" Lachesis said conversationally, choosing to ignore the distraught goddess.

Zeus looked thrown, but quickly regained his composure. "The _Moirai. _It's an honor to have you here."

"Get on with it," Atropos muttered. No one heard her.

"We should explain what is going on to these demigods," Zeus ordered. "Athena?"

"Years ago, there was a prophecy spoken by the oracle that foretold of three heroes that would have the choice to embark on a great quest to save the gods."

Lachesis waved her hand, and a humanoid figure made of green mist formed. Out of her mouth came a raspy voice. _"__The abyss three will choose to endure, for the victory of Olympus to ensure. Monsters kept from the world above by children of harvest, light, and love. In the end, they will die, but all will return one final time." _

A silence fell over the hall.

"We're going to die," Ananke stated neutrally.

Nobody answered her but it was clear in their eyes that she was right. Aphrodite had stopped crying and was watching her daughter curiously.

"The prophecy is clear, er, as clear as a prophecy ever is," Athena stated. "Three people, a child of each Demeter, Apollo, and Aphrodite, will choose to enter the abyss- Tartarus- to ensure the victory of the gods in some war. We know now that this is the upcoming war."

"Upcoming war?" Emmy echoed.

The girl with silver eyes and dark braided hair spoke up for the first time. "Yes. The Titan Kronos is rising again, hoping to gather enough support to launch an attack against the council and take control."

"So we choose to go into the pit to… keep the monsters from the world above, or whatever, so they don't side with Kronos?" Ananke asked, hoping that she'd figured everything out.

Athena nodded in confirmation.

"You have a choice!" Aphrodite said sharply. "You don't have to if you don't want to!"

Ananke fell silent. She wasn't sure what she wanted. All her life, she'd felt like she was lost. She'd figured out part of the reason, she was pretending to be someone she wasn't. But she still felt the same way as she had when she was Grace, and Grace was always looking for an adventure.

Grace didn't want to settle for a boring, nine to five job, and a husband with two and a half kids. Grace wanted to be great. She wanted to be a hero. She wanted excitement, adventure, and not just a husband, but a love that was so passionate that anyone around them could feel it emanating from her and her love (maybe that was the whole 'daughter-of-Aphrodite' talking). To put it simply, Grace wasn't satisfied with the world she was confined in. Maybe this was her opportunity to break out.

Besides, Grace had always feared death. Being here, and finding out that the Greek gods, and therefore the Underworld, were real, gave her a little bit of peace. She was okay with dying, but she wanted to try and do something great first. She was a demigod, like Heracles, Theseus, and Perseus, but now, she wanted to be a hero like them, too.

After all, it was her destiny.

"I want to hear all the details before I make my decision," Ananke decided.

Trevor looked at her in surprise. "You're actually considering this?"

Ananke didn't answer, only stared up at Zeus and Athena. Both were trying to figure out what details they'd left out.

"What happens to a mortal that dies in Tartarus? Are we trapped there forever?" Ananke wondered. If she was going to be stuck in the Greek version of hell forever, she wasn't sure she wanted to go.

"Nobody knows. You would be the first mortals to die in Tartarus," Athena said.

"Wow, I'm so honored," Emmy muttered sarcastically.

Ananke frowned. "I don't want to be stuck there… Is there any way to get us out? I mean, when we're dying."

The Olympians considered this. "If we all tried hard enough we could probably get you out, but we wouldn't have any way of knowing when."

"Leave that to us," Atropos broke in.

Ananke looked up at Zeus, who looked around then nodded. "Yes, that sounds acceptable," he rumbled.

"We don't have any training." It was Emmy who spoke up this time. "What if we get down there and, like, die right away?"

Apollo, Demeter, and Aphrodite flinched.

Athena shook her head. "Even gods do not dare to enter Tartarus. Even surviving for a day is an immense accomplishment. We will not judge you for dying."

"We'll need weapons," Ananke said expectantly.

"No, Ananke!" Aphrodite cried, realizing that her daughter was going to accept the quest. "You can't!"

"This is my destiny, Mother," Ananke said calmly.

"Please, think about what you're agreeing to," Aphrodite begged.

Ananke shook her head. "I have, and I am going to do it. Mother, please understand."

Aphrodite shook her head sadly, but it was clear that there was no way she was going to be able to change her daughter's mind. She rose off her throne and approached her daughter, slowly shrinking down to her height. She pulled the redhead in for a hug. When she pulled back, she waved her hand, and her daughter's clothing changed. Instead of her t-shirt and long johns, she was wearing a black bodysuit, combat boots, and a full set of silver armor. Trevor and Emmy changed as well, but Emmy's armor was gold, like her father's, and Trevor's was more of a metallic brown.

A thin golden band also appeared around Ananke's forearm. Inscribed in the metal were Greek symbols: αιώνιος.

"It says _A__ió̱nios,_" Aphrodite explained sadly. "That means Eternal." She held her daughter's hand and pulled the band up to show her. "It is yours. It will respond to you. Simply wish for the weapon you want and it will obey."

"Thanks, Mom," Ananke said quietly. She hesitated. "Um, what happened to my father? Sam?"

Aphrodite sighed. Another tear traced its way down her beautiful face. "He's alright. He misses you still, so much. He was married five years ago, to an actress named Melanie Baker. They have a son, Cameron." Aphrodite took a breath. She put her hand under her daughter's chin, which had dropped. "He _never _forgot you, understand? I still talk to him every year; I tell him what you've been doing and how you've been."

"Does he know I'm never coming home?" Ananke whispered, her voice cracking, showing emotion for the first time.

Aphrodite bowed her head. "He knows you have been destined to die. He hopes to see you again, though. Maybe in the Underworld, at least."

Ananke tried not to cry- she hated showing emotion, which she viewed as vulnerability. Aphrodite hugged her one final time before kissing her forehead and returning to her throne.

Emmy and Trevor were finishing up their conversations with their parents as well. They had also gotten weapons. From Apollo, Emmy received a golden bow that doubled as a necklace and dual knives that she could strap to her thighs. Trevor had received a spear, shield, and sword that could each turn into rings.

Ananke was kind of surprised that they had agreed to go, but she was kind of glad they did. She didn't want to be alone.

Demeter and Apollo returned to their seats. Ananke, Emmy, and Trevor looked up at Zeus, waiting for instructions.

"Thank you," he said sincerely. "You will not be forgotten, I promise you."

With a bright flash of light, everything around them faded away.

**x x x **

_thank you for reading… _

_so they're finally heading to tartarus! i'll be kind of skipping some parts, since it'd get really boring if i just had chapter after chapter of them fighting monsters… but don't worry, i've got a lot of stuff planned… and i'm trying not to give anything away, but… don't worry about the whole 'they're all going to die' part. all i'm going to say is that it will ALL work out in the end. mostly. (haha just kidding)_

_anyway, please review! thank you so much to those who have, especially AmyRose99, who's reviewed most every chapter so far! thank you so much for your support! _

_please tell me what you think and if it all makes sense… hopefully it all did, but… _

_kay x _


	7. Chapter Seven: Hellhounds

**Chapter Seven: Hellhounds**

**x x x **

**Tartarus **

**Unknown date **

**x x x**

Ananke wasn't sure exactly how long they'd been in Tartarus, but she was sure they hadn't been there more than a few hours. They hadn't fought any monsters yet, which she was still worrying about. Despite the gods' answer to Emmy's question, she _still _didn't want to die within her first couple days. Talk about an epic failure.

Tartarus was worse than Ananke thought it would be. It was extremely hot, and she wanted to take her armor off, but she knew it would make her even more vulnerable. The air was hard to breathe, and she could see her skin begin to blister and peel, like she was being sunburnt, but there was no sun above them. Monsters roared in the distance, but the three demigods haven't seen any so far.

They were on their way to the Phlegethon, the river of fire in the pit. According to Hades (who'd dropped them off by the mouth of Tartarus), it was one of the five rivers of Tartarus, along with the Styx, the Cocytus, the Lethe, and the Acheron. The Phlegethon was used by Hades and his furies to keep mortals intact so that they could experience the tortures of the Underworld without getting a way out. The god of the dead instructed them to drink from it as well, saying that it should shield them from the horrors of Tartarus as well, and- hopefully- shouldn't kill them.

Ananke wasn't that thrilled that it wasn't definitely proven that the Phlegethon wouldn't kill them, but if they didn't try, Tartarus would. So, she figured it was worth a shot.

"I'm going to guess that _that_'s what we're looking for," Trevor said hoarsely, pointing at a line of fire a little ways off. "We'd better hurry though, I feel like my insides are being boiled."

Neither girl responded, not wanting to waste their voices. Their throats were all raw from trying to breathe in the harsh air of Tartarus.

The three set off as quick as they could, armor clanking occasionally. They were all in a lot of pain that only intensified the more time they spent in the pit. All three of their faces were peeling and raw, and their lips were flaky.

The Phlegethon drew tantalizingly closer, until Ananke couldn't bear it any longer and started to run towards the river.

Her two companions tried to call after her, but their voices wouldn't get the volume they were trying to reach. Finally, they gave up and followed.

Ananke reached the Phlegethon, and dropped to her knees. She didn't even realize that the material of the shore was cutting into her skin like little fragments of glass. She hesitated for a second, wondering how badly this was going to hurt. Ananke shook her head before thrusting her hands into the fire.

It didn't hurt, but it felt as if it was so hot that it felt cold. Pulling her hands out of the fire, Ananke was entranced, watching the flames dance in her palms. After a moment (and a sharp pain in her chest), she dumped the fire in her mouth.

_"Ack!" _Ananke coughed and hacked, but- somehow- she managed to swallow the fire. Ananke didn't eat that many spicy foods, so she wasn't really used to any spicy foods. Tears streamed out of her eyes, sizzling on her cheeks. It wasn't just her mouth that was burning- it radiated from her whole esophagus and stomach, all throughout her body.

"Ananke, are you okay?" Trevor grabbed her shoulders to prevent her from slumping into the river of fire.

The daughter of Aphrodite didn't answer, but Emmy and Trevor could see her condition visibly improve. The blisters faded away from her skin, her eyes brightened, and her skin seemed to weave itself back together from its previously flaking and peeling state.

"It works," Ananke said clearly. "You've got to drink."

Hesitantly, Emmy and Trevor both complied. They had similar reactions to Ananke.

"That… tasted like a Carolina Reaper pepper mixed with gasoline," Trevor gagged.

"A Carolina Reaper?" Emmy questioned.

Trevor shrugged. "It's supposed to be the most spicy pepper in the world."

"That must be a Demeter thing," Emmy said. There was a bit of hesitation in her voice, as if she was still trying to adapt to the strange truth that the gods of Olympus were real.

Ananke rose to her feet. "We need to find somewhere to hole out."

"Like…?"

"Well, according to Hades, there should be some temples down here that have fallen in. I think he mentioned a temple of Hermes, actually," Ananke said.

"Why didn't we hear about this?" Emmy snorted.

Ananke chuckled. "Maybe you weren't paying attention."

"Whatever," Emmy said with a laugh and an eye roll. Ananke was a bit surprised that they were joking around in the deepest part of hell, but it was nice to ignore the fact that they'd die soon. "Did he give you any directions?"

"None," Ananke said regretfully. "Lord Hades doesn't have any jurisdiction over Tartarus, apart from being part of his domain."

"Great. Let's go wander around this dangerous, unfamiliar land that's full of monsters," Trevor summed up.

Ananke concentrated and her golden band shifted, golden tendrils spiraling from the bracelet before twirling together into a spear in her hand.

Trevor and Emmy gaped, while Ananke grinned.

"That's awesome!" Emmy said jealously as she pulled on her own necklace to spring her bow out. Trevor did the same with his sword.

Trevor turned and scanned their surroundings. "Let's go, before-"

A monstrous roar echoes across Tartarus, sounding close to the trio.

"Before that happens," Ananke finished grimly. "Sounds like we're getting our first monster…"

x x x

The three all had their weapons ready for the monster when it arrived, but nothing prepared them for the sight of their first monster.

It was a little bit bigger than an elephant, and looked like a mastiff. Its eyes glowed red and its bark sounded like a cannon blast.

"What _is _that?" Emmy gasped, her eyes wide.

Trevor snapped his finger once. "I know! It's a hellhound!"

The dog perked up, its eyes locking onto the demigods and his lips pulling up in a snarl.

Ananke concentrated and her spear dissolved into tendrils again, before reforming into a bow. She pulled the string back, and an arrow appeared.

"Do you know how to shoot?" Emmy muttered, doing the same with her own bow. "'Cuz I don't."

"Not at all," Ananke said grimly. "But I don't want to go anywhere near that thing. Its claws are the size of my forearm, in case you haven't noticed."

She concentrating, shutting an eye for aim. Breathing out, she released. Ananke had been aiming for the creature's eye, but she hit a little bit below, near his jaw.

"Damn," Ananke hissed.

Emmy snorted. "If that was a bad shot, I'd love to see a good one." She released her own arrow, which bounced harmlessly off the hellhound's rolls of fat on his chest.

Ananke's second arrow hit closer to its mark, enough to nick the eye. The enraged hellhound finally charged.

The three demigods scattered. Ananke transformed her weapon into a spear for better protection. Emmy, having no weapon other than her bow, tried to find higher ground for a better vantage point. Ananke and Trevor charged.

"_I am SO gonna die!" _Trevor yelled as his battle cry.

Ananke's battle cry was, _"Think positive! Augh!" _

That last part was because she almost got hit by a furious slash from the hellhound. Luckily, she managed to dodge, and thrust her spear at the monster's paw. She was off-balance so the strike was weak and only ricochet off the fur.

Trevor swiped at the monster, too, but was knocked back by a swipe to the chest. His armor protected him from being cut, but the force was enough to knock him off his feet and a few yards back.

The monster was about to pursue, but Ananke stepped neatly in front of Trevor's distant form, inside the Hellhound's guard. Her spear changed into a sword, which she drove into the hellhound's chest.

It exploded into yellow dust, blowing Ananke in the face like a sandblaster. When the cloud of dust cleared, she was covered in the stuff from head to toe.

"Anyone know if there are showers in Tartarus?" she questioned.

x x x

All three demigods were ready to drop from exhaustion. After the first hellhound, there had been three more, probably coming to avenge their lost pack member or something- at least, that's what Emmy jokingly said.

It'd been a struggle, but the monsters ended up in the same state as their so-called "pack member".

Now, Ananke, Trevor, and Emmy were trying to find the shrine to Hermes that Hades had told them about. They had been following the River Phlegethon, but there weren't too many things around.

All three were absolutely miserable. They were hungry, thirsty (the Phlegethon wasn't very thirst-quenching), and emotionally and physically exhausted.

"I swear, if this stupid temple doesn't show up I'm going to kill someone," Emmy snarled. The usually easy-going, cheerful daughter of Apollo had become downright murderous.

"Just make sure it's a monster, okay?" Ananke said sarcastically. Ananke was miserable, too, and when she got upset she became incredibly sarcastic and irritable.

Trevor hummed his favorite songs. When he became miserable, he didn't get mad or anything like that; he would tune everything out. It wasn't a great thing to do when they were in Tartarus, especially since he needed to be especially alert.

"I see something!" Emmy cheered, brightening immediately. "Do you think that could be…?"

Ananke squinted at the place Emmy was pointing. "It looks like marble… It really _does _look like a temple, actually…"

Emmy squealed and took off in the direction.

"It could be a trap, of course!" Ananke whisper-yelled after her.

Trevor groaned. "We should follow her just in case, then, shouldn't we?"

Ananke didn't answer, but she started to run after Emmy. Trevor moaned again then followed. When they reached the demigod, she was already inside the temple.

"We found it!" could be heard from inside, along with raucous cheering.

Ananke grinned at Trevor before making her way inside. The son of Demeter followed close behind.

Emmy beamed at her companions as they entered the main chamber. "We did it, we did it!"

"You sound like Dora," Ananke said bluntly.

Emmy stuck out her tongue and did a little victory dance, complete with moonwalk and the hula.

"Congratulations," a voice drawled, causing all three demigods to freeze. "Welcome to O_ Naós tou Ermí̱."_

x x x

_thank you for reading chapter seven… _

_my last final is tomorrow so im hoping to update more frequently. im really excited for this story; ive got a lot of twists and turns planned [insert evil laugh here]_

_disclaimer: i don't own percy jackson and things regarding the series, but i DO own ananke, emmy, and trevor, and their respective storylines, so… yeah_

_please review! i swear i freaked out when i saw how many people reviewed after i updated last. if there was anyone listening they probably would've thought i went insane… _

_kay x_


	8. Chapter Eight: Dracanae

**Chapter Eight: Dracenae **

**x x x**

**Temple of Hermes **

**Tartarus **

**Unknown Time**

**x x x**

Emmy, Ananke, and Trevor whipped around, weapons springing to life in their hands. They found a ghost-like version of Hector standing there with his arms raised in the universal 'i-mean-you-no-harm' gesture.

Ananke lowered her spear, but Trevor and Emmy seemed hesitant to move their own weapons away from Hector's throat.

"Hector," Trevor growled. "Or is that actually who you are?"

"You haven't figured it out?" Ananke wondered in surprise. To Trevor, it came off as condescending, but Ananke didn't mean it that way. It was just a question.

Trevor, tired and sore, immediately turned on his companion. "Why don't you tell us, if you're so smart?"

Great- not even one day in Tartarus and they were already arguing. Ananke chose not to continue the argument. Instead, she said simply, "Lord Hermes."

"Bingo!" Hermes cried, pointing at the redhead. "I gotta say, you daughters of Aphrodite don't get enough credit."

"Let me guess. All of my half-sisters are shallow, narcissistic airheads," Ananke said in a deadpan. She couldn't say that she was all that surprised, but she was a bit disappointed that her family was so useless.

Hermes shrugged sheepishly. "They get a bad rep."

"What are you doing here, anyway, Lord Hermes?" Emmy interrupted, trying to be polite. It didn't work that well. "I thought gods couldn't come to Tartarus."

Hermes grimaced. "We can't, not really, but this _is _my shrine, so I have some power here, regardless of whether or not its in Tartarus. I have to be careful though; I could get trapped. This is only a miniscule fragment of my immortal essence- that's why I'm so, uh, transparent."

The three demigods subconsciously looked the ghostlike god up and down.

"As to why I'm here, I'm here to firstly make sure everything's going alright, and secondly to make sure you're all up to speed on all… _this._" He waved his hand around carelessly as he said the last part of his sentence.

Trevor shrugged. "We're doing okay. We had a scuffle with a few hellhounds, earlier, but we managed to kill them."

"Great," Hermes said brightly. "Not many people can beat a hellhound, especially without much training."

"Beginners luck, then," Ananke said sarcastically.

Hermes shot her a luck that clearly communicated: _Be positive! _

Ananke shot her own scathing look back, one that meant: _I'm going to die at some point down here, and you're telling me to be positive?! _

Hermes seemed to get the memo and hastily changed the subject. "So do you have any questions about the world of the Greek gods?"

"Are there others like us?" Emmy wondered. "Like, do I have siblings? Where are all of they? I haven't seen any demigods down here…"

"No, you're the lucky ones," Hermes muttered with a grimace. He didn't mean for anyone to overhear it, but all three picked it up. "Yeah, all of you have siblings. They attend a special, um, summer camp that teaches them about their heritage and how to survive in the real world."

"How come we were never sent?" Trevor accused. "Learning how to fight monsters would do us a hell of a lot of good right now!"

Hermes frowned. "I'm not sure, actually. I guess it just wasn't in the cards."

Trevor snorted, but Ananke interrupted. "Lord Hermes, as a daughter of Aphrodite, what kind of stuff can I do?"

Hermes shrugged. "I don't know the specifics, really. Appearance-wise, children of Aphrodite take after their mother. They tend to be really good at the whole beauty and fashion thing. And they're kind of into the whole love and relationships stuff, too."

"So basically I'm a Barbie," Ananke summed up, her face murderous.

Hermes snapped his fingers. "There's also charmspeak, but it's really rare. You can use your voice to persuade people to do things if you wanted."

"Do I have this… charmspeak?" Ananke wondered. Hermes shrugged, so Ananke turned to Trevor. "Trevor, tell me I'm awesome." Sure, it was a stupid command, but it was the first thing she'd thought of. Her voice sounded richer, more potent. More bell-like, rather than harsh and sarcastic.

"You're awesome," Trevor said easily. His eyes were glazed over and he swayed a bit on his feet. He shook his head to clear it. "Don't do that!"

"Alright," Ananke said to herself, not to Trevor. There was a wicked grin on her face. "I could work with this…"

Emmy cleared her throat. "What about me? And Trevor?"

"Emmy, you should be really good with archery, poetry, music, and healing. Generally, Apollo kids specialize, though, so some of your siblings focus on poetry, others on healing, and others on music. Some of the kids even have special abilities to help them in their field," Hermes rattled off. "Trevor, you can control the earth and plants. Sorry, kid; it isn't too useful down here."

Trevor scowled. He opened his mouth to say something- no doubt something offensive and rude that would probably piss off the messenger god- when Hermes' form flickered.

"Styx," Hermes cursed. "Time's almost up. Before I go, remember to be smart. There are all sorts of things down here, some of the most dangerous in history. Try to stay inconspicuous to avoid attracting unwanted attention. You should be safe here. Even in Tartarus, not too many monsters will try to come in here. Oh, and food should appear in here for you, burnt offerings to the gods. Some comes here."

"There wouldn't happen to be a bathroom, would there?" Ananke asked. She was still covered in yellow powder. It clung to her hair and clothing like burrs.

Hermes laughed. "I'm h- est-" Hermes flickered again, interrupting his words, before vanishing for good.

"Well, that was interesting," Emmy sighed. Her jubilation had faded, and now she was ready to drop.

Ananke grabbed her locket necklace- a gift from Persephone and Hades. Each one of the trio had one. It could hold anything you wanted, and you just had to picture what you wanted and it would appear. Ananke squeezed her eyes shut and focused on her bedroll, sleeping bag, and pillow.

"Aha!" Ananke cheered in satisfaction.

She unrolled her bedroll, laying it in a corner under a statue of the Pleiade Maia, the mother of Hermes, holding her baby in her arms. She placed her sleeping bag and pillow gently in place. She was so glad that she actually had a bed that she would ignore the fact that all of her stuff was different shades of pink. She didn't like pink as Grace, and apparently that trait had carried over to Ananke, too.

Emmy and Trevor set their orange and green bedrolls next to Ananke's.

"Sorry if you wanted space," Emmy said quietly. "But I don't want to be alone down here."

Ananke smiled at the girl. "No, it's fine. For what it's worth, I don't want to be alone either."

"Ditto," Trevor through in.

Emmy punched the boy in the shoulder. He groaned and rubbed the spot. "Way to ruin the bonding moment," Emmy pouted.

Ananke rolled her eyes with a grin. "Whatever, I'm going to bed. But first, seriously, does this place have a bathroom?"

x x x

Ananke had no way of telling what time it was when she woke up. Her internal clock was completely thrown off. It was still dark in Tartarus- it was always dark in Tartarus.

Nobody spoke much, just suited up in their armor and triggered their weapons before trooping out of Hermes' shrine into the dangers of the pit.

"So, what are we looking for today?" Emmy cheered. After a night of sleep and some food that appeared as promised, everybody was a lot happier. "A gorgon? A cyclops? Maybe the Minotaur!"

"_Shh!" _Ananke hissed. "Shut up before you jinx anything! With our luck, we'll get all three of those monsters to attack!"

"What do you mean? I happen to think that I have very good luck." Emmy spun and grinned back at the other two.

"We're in _Tartarus_," Trevor reminded her.

Emmy's smile faded a little bit. "Oh, right."

Ananke shushed them again. "Hey, hey, heads up!"

She pointed to three figures nearing them. They were humanoid, from the waist up, but instead of legs, they had two reptilian trunks, like snakes. They moved using a combination of slithering and walking. Their skin was mottled green and their black hair was braided and tangled. Apparently Tartarus doesn't do any beauty favors.

The narcissistic side of Ananke wondered if she looked any better.

_Not important, _Ananke's logical side snapped. _Don't worry about that right now, idiot! _

The monsters finally spotted the demigods. "Look sssissstersss…." The one in the front hissed. "Demigodsss… What would demigodsss be doing in Tartarusss?"

Emmy fired at the Dracanae to eliminate the threat before they came close enough to attack. The arrow hit one in the shoulder (she had been aiming more for the chest, but she'd take it) and the Dracanae exploded into dust. The other two yelled in anger and charged.

Emmy tried shooting more arrows, but the Dracanae were smarter this time. They wouldn't be so easily killed. The archer backed up from Trevor and Ananke to get good firing position. Ananke and Trevor readied their spear and sword as the snake ladies came closer.

"Wait," Ananke tells Trevor quietly, holding out her hand. She turns to address the Dracanae. "Stop." Her voice was so potent that both Trevor and Emmy did as well. "Don't move." The Dracanae seemed to listen for a while, but they were fighting the charmspeak.

"Stop!" Ananke tried again, but the Dracanae broke out of her control.

"A daughter of Aphrodite…" the Dracanea hissed. They seemed angry. _Fan- freaking- tastic. _ They both charged her.

"Ananke!" Trevor yelled.

Emmy, from the top of a boulder a little ways away, yelled, "I can't get a clear shot!" Her bow reverted back into its necklace form, and Emmy grabbed her twin knives instead. She jumped off the rock and joined Trevor, who was trying to distract the Dracanae from killing Ananke.

Ananke let out a long string of swear words. It was a creative mix of Greek-style and American profanity. Despite the threat, both Trevor and Emmy had to be impressed.

Ananke dodged the first Dracanae and slashed at its stomach. She was about to stab it, but the other grabbed her spear, pulled it out of her hands, then clawed her chest.

Ananke gasped. The cuts weren't that deep, not deep enough to kill at least, but they still hurt badly.

The other Dracanae was about to take a swipe, but she dissolved into dusk when Emmy buried a knife in her back.

Ananke whirled around just for the other Dracanae to explode in her face as Trevor gutted her like a fish.

She exhaled sharply, a puff of yellow coming from her mouth that had gotten in when the Dracanae had exploded.

"Thanks," she spit.

Then she fainted.

**x x x **

_thank you for reading chapter eight… i noticed that my last fight seemed much too easy for never having been trained, so i wanted the next fight to be a little more difficult. let me know what you think._

_please review! thank you SO SO SO much to the people that have! i nearly screamed when i saw that i had 16 reviews… _

_kay x _


	9. Chapter Nine: Cyclopes

**Chapter Nine: Cyclopes**

**x x x **

**The Shrine of Hermes**

**Tartarus **

**Unknown Date**

**x x x **

Ananke had slept seven times since the Dracanae, and her scars were still red and puffy and hurt like hell whenever she moved the wrong way. She wasn't complaining though; she was alive. For a while, it looked like she wouldn't make it, but after Emmy cauterised the scars and both she and Trevor forced her to drink about three gallons worth of flames from the Phlegethon, she was able to at least get up and move around. After she'd slept three more times, she'd been able to continue their mission.

That was how they kept time down in Tartarus- by counting how many times they'd slept. They figured that, if they slept during the nights, as they'd normally done in the mortal world, the sleep would mark the beginning of a new day. It wasn't an exact science, but it worked well enough. They had bigger things to worry about than the date, but it would be nice to know how long they'd survived for.

It took a while, but Ananke finally accepted her situation. She was taking this whole thing a whole lot better than Trevor and Emmy, at least. Trevor put on a good show, but he was scared. Ananke could tell. Without complaint, Emmy dutifully went out every day with Ananke and Trevor, putting her life on the line to kill monsters, but Ananke knew that she had been just dying to scream up to whoever controlled things, _'Why me!?' _

Ananke wasn't suicidal, not at all, but she hadn't been exactly happy either. Of course, maybe that was because she was always pretending to be something she wasn't, even if she didn't know it herself. She'd had friends and a loving family. She had been the top 5% in her school, grades-wise, and was the top scorer for her soccer team.

But she still felt like something in her life was missing.

She didn't want to follow the path in life that everyone would be taking, too: graduating high school then going to college, then getting a nine-to-five job, then marrying and having 2.5 kids. That just wasn't for her. She didn't think there was any other option for her, so she tried her best to fit into the mold. But she'd always longed for the chance to _do _something with her life. To make a difference. _This _was her chance.

Trevor and Emmy didn't have the same reasons she did. Ananke didn't know why they'd come- they all kept that to themselves- but she figured that they'd have to have a reason why. Apparently, judging by the way they were reacting, their reasons weren't as strong as Ananke's.

Ananke worried about them, honestly. The things they'd endured in Tartarus were enough to seriously mess up a person mentally.

Like yesterday, for example.

**x x x **

**The Dark Lands**

**Tartarus**

**One Day Previously**

**x x x**

They were out scouting for monsters, as per usual. Both Trevor and Emmy were carefully watching over Ananke, which annoyed her. She was _fine. _It had been almost six days(ish?) since she'd been hurt by that Dracanae, and she'd already been out on a scouting mission yesterday anyway. She didn't need to be babied.

Ananke liked to think that their coddling was why they were so surprised when the cyclopes jumped out of nowhere.

There were two smaller ones and one larger one, although they were all over ten feet tall and all over a thousand pounds, so the fact that one was just a couple feet taller and a couple pounds heavier didn't really matter that much to the demigods, who were dwarfed in comparison. The one in the lead, the largest, looked humanoid, but a couple things were off- her arms too long, her joints too lumpy, her shoulders too broad, her nose to big, her lips to skinny and wide, and, oh, yeah, who could forget about the whole _one eye _thing? She definitely wouldn't be winning too many beauty contests. Her hair was tied back behind her ears in two ponytails and she wore a dress- a muumuu- made out of chain mail. The two cyclopes on either side of her were male, but just as ugly. Their pimpled, pockmarked, scabious faces and their movements- as if they had a sudden growth spurt over night and didn't know how to deal with their longer limbs just yet- caused Ananke to infer that these two cyclopes were going through some sort of wacked cyclopes puberty, and that they were probably teenagers. When the one on the left bared his teeth in a snarl, crudely made braces could be seen, which was ironic. His teeth were already yellowed, chipped, and cavity-ridden, so it was kind of stupid that he cared about them being _straight. _

"Bah! What's this?" the female cyclopes roared. "Demigods?"

The other two cyclopes cackled moronically.

"What're you lot doing down here?" the female grinned down at them. It wasn't a nice, friendly smile either, it was a smile that said very clearly: _Ha, demigods to kill! This is my lucky day! _

"We were looking for a nice vacation," Ananke spit. "Thought it might be nice."

Apparently cyclopes don't understand sarcasm that well, because the female replied, "A vacation? _Here?! _Well, you all really are stupider than I thought. That's okay, though, the stupid demigods taste better."

"Yeah, because we don't get to eat the smart ones," the male cyclops with braces spoke up. "They trick us."

"Shut up, Torque!" the female snapped. "I told you, you idiot, keep quiet! You'll ruin our feast!"

Torque cowered.

Emmy, Trevor, and Ananke exchanged glances, like, _Alrighty then. _Trevor's was more like, _Why do we always get the nutjobs? _

"Oh, you don't want to eat us," Ananke said confidently, pouring all of her emotions into her charmspeak. After many days in Tartarus, it had gotten stronger and stronger. "We don't taste good at all."

The cyclopes looked convinced enough to be disappointed. Then, the female snapped out of it.

"Venus spawn, huh? Your charmspeak won't work on me," she bragged. In a mutter, she added, "These idiots, maybe."

Ananke frowned in confusion, thrown for a split second. The control her charmspeak had over Torque and the other cyclopes seemed to waver. _Venus spawn? _Venus was definitely Roman, the Roman form of her mother, Aphrodite. It brought up an interesting thought that Ananke hadn't considered before: If the Greek gods were real, what others were, too?

"Nope, Aphrodite," she said sweetly, going back to her charmspeak. She couldn't get confused now, or she'd end up as dinner. "Now, I think that there's been a lot of problems in your relationship, hasn't there, boys?" Ananke paused for a second, letting the idea set in. "I mean, she's never nice to you, is she? She's mean, and always orders you around. Why should she? You're the men- uh, male cyclopes here. Why should you let a _woman _lead?" Ananke kind of hated herself for playing the 'men first, women second' card, but she figured that it would work in this situation, even if she didn't believe in it. The two male cyclopes started to look angry. "You're both strong, and powerful. You should take over. I mean, you could just leave her behind, but that would get complicated. Maybe you should just kill her."

There was a split second of silence as Ananke's charmspeak registered in the males, just as the female (as well as Trevor and Emmy) realized what she was doing.

The two males jumped the female, pounding with their fists, each impact making noises like rocks clashing together. Within seconds, the female was dust.

"There, now you two are in charge!" Ananke praised. "But… we can't have _two_ leaders, can we? I mean, one of you has to be more dominant. Maybe you should fight for it. Trust me, that's the best way to figure out who's in charge."

The two cyclopes turned to each other, prepared to fight. They looked hesitant, though, so Ananke said, "Come on. Fight. You have to have one leader, don't you?" That was all that was needed to turn the cyclopes against each other, punching and kicking, even biting, each other. In the mayhem of the fight, it was hard to see what was happening, but a cloud of yellow dust emerged and one cyclops rose. He bared his teeth, empty of braces, and roared.

"I am the leader!"

"Congrats," Ananke said dryly, her tone shifting dramatically from her soothing charmspeak. "Now who will you lead? You're not useful. Maybe you should just die."

She didn't think that her charmspeak would be powerful enough to convince someone to kill themselves, but the cyclops looked at her obediently.

"Okay," he said. He didn't have a weapon, so he looked at Ananke with his hands clasped and his eye glazed over. He looked like an innocent little kid.

Ananke had a split second of hesitation. She couldn't help but feel a wave of self-hatred and shame. _What am I doing? _she asked herself. _I'm controlling someone so that they kill themselves… No, _she decided. _It's them or me. They're trying to_ eat _me. __I've got to survive, and, if we won, they'd be dead anyway. The way I'm doing it doesn't matter. _

Ananke's bow sprang to life, and with one quick arrow to the forehead (both her and Emmy's skill with a bow and arrows had greatly improved. It was Ananke's favorite weapon, along with the spear) the cyclops exploded into dust.

All monsters defeated and nobody had to fight. Ananke turned back to Emmy and Trevor, thinking that they would be happy, but instead, they looked horrified. They weren't scared of the cyclopes, either- they were scared of _her. _

**x x x**

**The Shrine of Hermes**

**Tartarus**

**Unknown Date**

**x x x**

Ananke knew that Emmy and Trevor were still a little bit wary of her, even though she'd promised not to use her charmspeak on either of them. The three of them were sitting in the Shrine of Hermes the next morning, eating breakfast (Ananke didn't know where the food came from, but it was some of the best stuff she'd eaten in her life). Every once and a while, Emmy or Trevor would glance over at her, then quickly look away.

Ananke tried to ignore it, but she couldn't. Every time she saw their fear of her, another wave of shame arose in her, then anger that she felt ashamed. Charmspeak was useful, she shouldn't feel ashamed by using anything that she could to keep them alive as long as possible.

Trevor cleared his throat. "Uh, I think we need to talk."

Ananke didn't answer, just raised an eyebrow. She definitely agreed, though; they needed to talk. It wouldn't be a good dynamic to have two members of a team scared of a third. That would lose any advantage that Ananke's charmspeak would give them.

"So, what you did yesterday." Emmy and Trevor exchanged glances, having a conversation through their eyes alone.

They'd been getting closer during their time in Tartarus. Ananke could feel the beginning of something between them, because of her parentage, and she was happy for them, but it made her the odd man out. She'd always been a loner, even as Grace, and her toddler years as Ananke before that, but when she needed someone to confide in, she had a couple close friends. Here, she was just an acquaintance tagging along. She didn't have anyone to tell her thoughts to, and they were left to bottle up inside her. One of these days she was going to explode.

"I'm not going to deny it, it scared the crap out of me… and Trevor," Emmy said slowly, thinking about each individual word before it passed her lips. "Manipulating people into _killing _themselves and others? That seems kind of… I don't know." She did know, but she didn't want to say it in case she made Ananke angry.

Ananke said it for her. "Sadistic. Like something monster would do." The redhead sighed wearily. "I know. I've been thinking about it, too, and it's a horrible thing to do, but they were going to kill us. It was us or them. I could end the monsters without a fight even breaking out, without risking any of our lives. Either way, they would've died, though." Ananke looked thoughtful. "I don't think it's the idea of me using my charmspeak to convince the monsters to kill themselves that's scaring you, though."

Emmy and Trevor looked wary.

"I think it's the idea that I could possibly use it on innocent _people,__" _Ananke finished gravely. "Trust me, though. Here- I swear on the Styx that I won't use my charmspeak to kill any innocent people." The daughter of Aphrodite paused. "Is that better?"

Emmy and Trevor hesitated, but nodded, both realizing that Ananke was spot-on when she told them what they were really afraid of. They hadn't even realized it themselves.

"I think that we should get to know each other better, though," Emmy said, scooting in closer to Ananke, forming part of a circle that was completed when she pulled Trevor closer too. "_None _of us have talked to each other that much. I hardly know you two, and if you're gonna be watching my back when we're fighting monsters, I kinda want to know who you are."

**x x x**

_**thank you for reading chapter nine**_

_**if you didn't already notice, i included some familiar faces in this chapter! i also wanted to show the emotional journey while they were in tartarus, but i included a monster fight in there, too. **_

_**thanks for all the reviews and support i'm getting; keep it coming! i especially want to know about my character development, particularly about whether or not my characters remain true to their character throughout the story. obviously, they're going to change as they grow etc. etc., but it'd be kind of ooc for someone like ananke to suddenly be really girly and narcassistic (for example). ananke i think i'm more or less okay with, but im more concerned with trevor and emmy. **_**_  
_**

_**alright, so thank you again for reading and supporting!**_

_**kay x**_


	10. Chapter Ten: The Cursed Offspring

**Chapter Ten: The Cursed Offspring **

**x x x **

**Tartarus**

**Unknown Date**

**x x x**

Time went on in Tartarus.

With each passing day, the three demigods grew closer, getting to know each other better than they'd known anyone in their whole lives. Like Emmy had said many nights ago, if someone was going to be protecting her back, she wanted to know them.

The reputation of the three demigods was known, now, all throughout the pit. In the beginning, the demigods would fight a few easy monsters (at least in comparison), but now, stronger monsters would come to challenge them.

It was the curse of demigods, Ananke had realized. The harder you worked to stay alive, the stronger you got. The stronger you got, the more monsters you'd slay. The more monsters you'd slay, the more challenges by stronger and stronger monsters hoping to prove themselves. Sooner or later, you'd be challenged by a monster you couldn't beat. There was a reason all Greek heroes' lives end in tragedy.

Emmy and Trevor had improved from before. They seemed to accept their situation now, and they were okay with it. They had turned to each other for help, and were on the edge of a relationship (Ananke could tell), but neither wanted to go further. It was impossible to have a relationship in their current situation. Love would make them vulnerable.

Ananke's condition had worsened, at least in her own opinion. Emmy and Trevor had no clue, since she did her best to keep her mask on. But inside, she felt like she was breaking apart.

They'd fought Echidna and her Chimera son the other day, and Ananke had fought Echidna while Trevor and Emmy took on the Chimera. While Emmy and Trevor couldn't hear, Echidna had taunted Ananke, about her fatal flaw, about her family, about the hopelessness of her situation.

_"You put on a good show," _Echidna had said. _"But you are so broken, aren't you, Ananke? You try to hold yourself together, but you cannot accept that you are falling apart… piece… by… piece." _

Echidna had used her claws to etch a word into Ananke's bicep: _POWER. _Echidna had said that power- ambition- was Ananke's fatal flaw. Ananke didn't understand at first, until she thought about the reaction in her that Echidna's words had caused. Ananke had been forced to accept what she was trying to deny: the fact that she wasn't coping well. That she was weak, and vulnerable_. _Ananke had never wanted to fell weak and vulnerable again, so she worked harder than ever. She wanted to be _powerful. _

Hearing Echidna calling her broken had been a slap in the face. Echidna's accusations buried deep into Ananke's subconscious, always in the back of her mind, whispering to her. Echidna was gone, but it seemed like whenever Ananke felt her weakest, she'd hear the voice of the reptilian lady, whispering about how she was weak, and broken, and falling apart. When someone constantly tells you something, even if it isn't true, you start to believe it.

Ananke knew that she wasn't coping well, but her fatal flaw prevented her from trying to get any help from Emmy and Trevor. She couldn't look weak. So instead, she paraded around with an aura of detached, sarcastic superiority.

So, maybe it _did _kind of make her a little bit of a bitch. Well, at least she didn't look weak. Better a bitch than broken.

**x x x **

**The River Phlegethon**

**Tartarus**

**Unknown Date**

**x x x**

"It's eerily empty down here lately," Emmy observed as the trio walked along the River Phlegethon. They were on a scouting mission, but after a couple hours, the possibility of finding a monster was dim. The same thing had happened the past three missions, too. "Where have all the monsters gone? We can't have killed them all."

Ananke snorted. "We can hope."

"Something big must be happening in the mortal world," Trevor deduced. "The monsters have all gone up to… I don't know. The Olympians mentioned a war?"

"Weren't you listening to the gods?" Ananke demanded. "They told us that we were down here to prevent monsters from going up into the mortal world and aiding Kronos and the Titans, who are trying to overthrow the Olympians."

"Didn't the Titans and the gods fight before?" Trevor asked thoughtfully. There was a crease between his eyebrows as he tried to think of where he'd heard about a Titan War before. "Yeah… Yeah, they did, didn't they?"

"In the beginning, the children of Kronos- Zeus, Hades, Poseidon, Hera, Demeter, and Hestia- all rose up to try and overthrow their father, Kronos," Ananke recited dully.

Trevor frowned. "Why?"

Ananke rolled her eyes. "'Cause he was evil. He'd _swallowed _his kids, apart from Zeus, so that they wouldn't overthrow him. He overthrew his own father by cutting him to pieces with his scythe."

Trevor wrinkled his nose. "That's messed up."

Ananke shrugged but didn't comment. She began walking off a little bit faster to get some space in between her and Trevor and Emmy. She could hear them whispering to each other, maybe about her, but she didn't care.

She was a bitch, but the part of her that was still unchanged hated what she'd become.

Anger built up in Ananke's chest. She needed some monster to kill. Anything to get her anger out. It seemed like all she was lately, apart from depressed, was angry. It'd been building up inside her, and if she didn't get it out she was going to explode.

Her wish was granted as three monsters emerged from the mist of Tartarus.

Two of them were eight feet tall, with the snouts, claws, and paws of wolves. They wore blue jeans on their bottom and had shaggy brown fur on their top. They kind of looked like a lab experiment gone wrong, where a human and a wolf were genetically combined. They snarled, similarly to a wolf, and sniffed the air. No doubt they smelled demigod.

The third monster was enormously tall, and was at least double the wolf-men. He was humanoid on bottom, apart from his hooves, and wore some sort of tattered loincloth. His upper body was thick and sinewy, with coarse fur coming out of his skin. Instead of a normal, human head, the head of a bull sprouted from his shoulders. His red eyes gleamed angrily as they locked on to the demigods. Ananke noticed that one of his large horns was missing. It looked like it had been snapped off. Even without too much knowledge into Greek mythology apart from the basics, Ananke knew who _this _was: the Minotaur.

Ananke decided to use her sword this time. Over the time in Tartarus, she'd become proficient in a wide variety of weapons (bow and arrows, swords of every type, spear, knives, mace, axe, sickles, javelins, whips, even clubs). She had a couple favorites that she tended to use most often though: a basic Greek-style sword, spear, twin knives, and bow and arrows. Today, she chose the sword.

One of the wolf-men stepped forwards. "So it's true," he mused. His voice was a combination of man and wolf. "Demigods in Tartarus, fighting against the monsters for the gods."

Ananke stayed silent. Emmy and Trevor came up to flank her.

"Luke couldn't believe it," the wolf continued. "Nor could anyone else, really, but…" He paused to lick his canines.

_Great, _Ananake thought. _Another enemy that wants to _eat _us. _Those tended to be the worst, since they were okay with taking a bite in the middle of a skirmish. Ananke was missing a chunk of flesh in her arm from a particularly vicious cyclops.

"Maybe you three will taste good enough to make up for missing the fun up above," the wolf-man finished.

Ananke's eyes narrowed. "Fun?" she demanded. For insurance, she added, using her charmspeak, "Tell me."

"There's a battle going on soon. Lord Kronos has risen, and he and his army are going to attack Camp Half-Blood through the Labyrinth," the wolf-man explained. "The demigods are a threat, and they must be destroyed."

"I understood about zero percent of that," Trevor muttered.

The wolf-man locked his eyes onto the demigods. "Of course, our force would be stronger if many of our brethren were not returned to the void and kept from the fight."

The other wolf-man and the Minotaur tensed. Ananke copied them, knowing that a fight was imminent.

"Well… we'll prevent that from happening again. Lord Kronos will reward us!" the wolf-man roared. His gloating was short lived, as Emmy shot an arrow into his maw not even a second later. He exploded into dust.

"Agrius?" the other wolf-man wondered. His surprise turned to rage. "You killed my brother!"

The Minotaur and wolf-man charged. Emmy, Ananke, and Trevor didn't need to talk at all; they knew the plan. They had fought with each other enough to know their fighting styles.

Emmy went for higher ground, all while shooting arrow after arrow at both monsters. Now that they were expecting, them, though, they were easier to avoid. When the arrows did hit the Minotaur (which was too big of a target to miss), they didn't seem to hurt him, just annoy him. Apparently, he was big enough to need more than an arrow in the back.

Trevor charged the wolf-man with his sword out. They grappled for a little bit, sword-on-claws, but, in the end, the wolf-man was overwhelmed by the son of Demeter.

Ananke charged the Minotaur. She analyzed her enemy, something she'd learned to do. _Big, lots of weight. Momentum. Probably not very agile, _she concluded. To gain the advantage against the Minotaur's fighting style, she used her speed and agility to weave in and out of flailing fists that were unable to land a blow on the daughter of Aphrodite. She would dart in, under the Minotaur's guard, and slash with her sword, before dancing out of the way. Finally, after a few taunting cuts, Ananke charged at the Minotaur, then slid baseball-style under the reach of his fists. She popped up, and sunk her sword into the Minotaur's stomach (which was as close to its heart as she could reach). Ananke had learned to turn away when monsters turned to dust, so this time, when the Minotaur exploded into the yellow powder, her face was spared.

A silence fell over the battlefield for a second. All three knew that the others were thinking about: the battle up above.

Ananke hoped that the demigods would be able to dispel the enemy force. From the little she'd heard from the gods before she'd entered Tartarus, the demigods of Camp Half-Blood were going to play a vital role in the upcoming war. To quote Athena, she said that they'd be _"One of three fronts." _One was the demigods in Tartarus, one was the demigods from camp, but Ananke couldn't figure out the last one. She didn't preoccupy herself, though. She didn't have time to worry about things like that. Besides, she couldn't muster up the effort to care. She'd be dead soon, and the little problems of her life would be miles away. At least, that's what she hoped.

"Maybe we could have done more," Emmy said finally.

Ananke shook her head. "We did our best!" she retorted. "No one can blame us! We've defeated all sorts of monsters, and we've survived for this long! There is _nothing _we could have done!"

Ananke still wondered, though. She hated failure. She wondered what the gods were thinking about them. Were they pleased with what they'd done? Did _they _think that it was enough?

Ananke didn't know anymore. She didn't know anything anymore.

_I am strong, _she reminded herself on the way back to the Shrine of Hermes. _I am _not _weak. I am not vulnerable. I am strong. _

In her head, she could hear the reptilian laugh of Echidna.

**x x x**

_thank you so much to anyone who reviewed! i got some great feedback and am trying to adjust my story accordingly… _

_i don't know if i'm entirely happy with this chapter because it's a lot of angst that i don't think was written very well. also, for some reason i'm just using a bunch of advanced words and i don't know why, so it feels like my writing style changed from the last couple chapters which is not good… __tell me what you think_

_but i really wanted to show the psychological stress on ananke at least the comes from being in tartarus. i probably (*ahem* definitely) overdid it, though, so when i edit (which i will sooner or later!) i'll tone it down a bit (*ahem* a lot). _

_please review, though, i love to hear how i'm doing. every review encourages me to write. i don't want to be one of those cliché authors that are like, 'more reviews more updates' but that's kind of how it works. i won't purposely withhold a chapter due to lack of interest, trust me, but i won't be as motivated to write, so chapters will get done slower. _

_uh, alrighty then, that's my little rant… _

_kay x _


	11. Chapter Eleven: Nemean Lion

**Chapter Eleven: Nemean Lion**

**x x x **

**The Shine of Hermes**

**Tartarus**

**Unknown Date**

**x x x**

_Whispers pulled Ananke from her slumber. They were indistinct and incomprehensible, but they were loud enough to rouse her. __Ananke opened her eyes, and was confused as to why she wasn't in Tartarus. Then she realized that she was dreaming. _

_Ananke stood in the center of a fancy room. To her left was a neatly set table, complete with linen napkins with golden napkin rings, golden plates and goblets, and a feast of all different kinds of food. To her left was a deluxe leather living room set and a flat screen TV the size of an NBA backboard. In front of her was a wall made up completely of windows that showed the moon reflecting off the crests of gentle waves outside. Ananke realized that she must be on a boat. _

_Suddenly, Ananke realized that she wasn't the only person in the room and startled. There was a boy facing away from her, towards the ocean, with his hands tightly clasped behind his back. He was wearing a full set of golden Greek armor etched with all sorts of patterns and images. His blonde hair was closely cropped to his scalp. _

_"Welcome to my ship, The Princess Andromeda" the teenager said. Ananke felt like someone had dropped an ice cube down the back of her shirt. The voice was ancient and powerful, incredibly powerful. When he turned to look at the redhead, she noticed that his eyes were molten gold. "Ananke Gilbert…" he mused. Ananke wondered in terror how this… uh, thing knew her name. "It's truly an honor to meet you. Not everyone would have made the decision you did." _

_Ananke's eyes narrowed as she picked up on the underlying bite in his words. He complimented her, but Ananke knew that he had ulterior motives. _

_"I bet you regret it, though," he said comfortingly. "I myself was imprisoned in Tartarus, in agony, for __millennia. For a mere demigod such as yourself- a daughter of Aphrodite no less- it must be truly hell." _

_Ananke raised her chin defiantly and threw her shoulders back. "It was the right decision. I don't regret it." It was the truth. Sure, Tartarus was 'truly hell', but that didn't change the fact that she had chosen correctly back on Mount Olympus. At least, Ananke still thought that she did. _

_The man studied her sympathetically, like she was a little girl who had just been caught in an obvious lie. "You poor girl. Are you so blinded by the gods that you cannot even see their manipulation? They force you into Tartarus, pretending as if you have a choice, and leave you to die there. You have been through enough suffering. Join me, and you will tread lightly upon the earth." _

_Ananke was taken aback. "Join you?"_

_"Yes, daughter of Aphrodite. What has your so-called mother ever done for you? She gave you a life that wasn't yours then let you suffer in Tartarus. She is using you, Ananke Gilbert." The man paused so that Ananke could absorb what he was saying. "Join me. Help me to strike down the arrogant Olympians. They do not appreciate you. They use you like a tool." _

_Ananke started in realization. "You're Kronos." _

_The man said nothing, but there was a general sense of agreement in his posture. _

_"You want me to help you overthrow the gods," Ananke repeated, summing everything up for herself. _

_Ananke didn't want to be tempted, but she was, at least a little bit. She could help Kronos, and in return, she would be freed from Tartarus and she would escape from her imminent death. But she thought back to the reasons she'd agreed to enter Tartarus, and the temptation faded. _

_"You say that the gods are manipulating me," Ananke addressed Kronos coldly. "But… what are you doing exactly? I don't like hypocrites." _

_"Ananke-" _

_"No. I made the right decision. I will not help you; I will oppose you." Ananke stood tall, staring Kronos straight in his golden eyes. "I will _not _help you." _

_"I can't say I'm not disappointed," Kronos said cruelly, any sympathy or comfort gone from his voice. "You are foolish, Ananke Gilbert. In the pit, where the gods put you, you face pain, loneliness, sadness, and loss more than you've ever known." _

_"I know that," Ananke said bravely, trying not to show how much she wanted to scream. "And I still won't help you." _

_"Very well," Kronos said. "I shall return you to Tartarus." He waved his hand, and Ananke's vision started to blur. __"Soon enough you'll lose the first of your friends, and I will ask you again after that, when you truly have no hope." _

_Ananke tried to cry out, asking what he meant, but the dream faded for good and Ananke sunk back into sleep devoid of dreams. _

**x x x **_  
_

Ananke awoke with a gasp, spasming violently. The sudden movement caused Emmy and Trevor, across the room preparing their weapons for that day's mission, to jump in surprise and drop their bow and sword.

"Holy Hades!" Emmy gasped. "Ananke, you scared the crap out of me. Are you okay?"

Ananke rubbed her eyes. "Just a dream."

"Yeah, I get horrible dreams down here, too," Trevor frowned. "I think it's just Tartarus, y'know?"

"Yeah," Ananke said breathlessly. "Yeah."

She couldn't forget Kronos' prediction, though, that either Emmy or Trevor was going to die soon. She was shaking uncontrollably.

"Ready for today's mission?" Emmy asked brightly. No matter how bitter Ananke was, Emmy was always nice to her, which the redhead appreciated.

For a moment, Ananke was tempted to ask if they could day off so that maybe they could avoid the monster that would kill Emmy or Trevor. Then, she decided against it. Kronos had only said that the death would occur 'soon'. They couldn't stay locked up in this shrine forever, and, besides, there was no avoiding fate. Even if they did stay in the shrine, Emmy or Trevor would probably die a different way.

"Ready," Ananke whispered hoarsely.

**x x x**

**The Central Wasteland**

**Tartarus**

**Unknown Date**

**x x x**

Ananke walked alongside Trevor and Emmy this time. They seemed a little surprised, but happy.

"I'm sorry if I've been kind of bitchy lately," the redhead said quietly. If one of her friends was going to die, she wanted to apologize for being a horrible friend first. "It's just… everything…"

"Don't worry, Anke," Emmy assured her, using a nickname she'd come up with. "We understand. You don't even need to apologize."

Ananke felt even worse. She'd been nothing but awful, but Emmy was _still _nice to her, even though Ananke definitely didn't deserve it.

"There's a lot of monsters today," Trevor observed. "I guess the battle's done."

Ananke nodded in agreement. They had noticed a strange amount of monsters. They'd taken on a lot so far, and it had only been a little under an hour. The number of monsters they'd fought in that time- twelve- was around their total for a whole day normally.

"We should be careful," Ananke reminded Emmy and Trevor, thinking back to Kronos' jab. "More monsters means more danger."

Emmy and Trevor nodded.

"We're always careful," Emmy said seriously.

Trevor cleared his throat, interrupting the conversation. "We've got another one, guys, eleven o'clock."

Emmy and Ananke spun around to look at the monster in the distance. It looked like a regular lion, except it was a whole lot bigger. It was the size of a small tank. In the limited amount of light in Tartarus, its fur would shine, as if it really were gold. When it roared, its teeth glinted. Sharp claws protruded from paws the size of a regular sized lion.

"Uh…" Emmy tried, her mouth open in shock. "It's a lion."

"Thanks, Captain Obvious," Ananke joked. She summoned her bow, sending a quick succession of three arrows at the beast's face. They ricochet off the lion's muzzle and forehead like they had hit solid metal. "What?" the redhead muttered.

The lion, now enraged, charged the three demigods, who scattered. Trevor slashed at the lion's rear ankle with his sword, but it bounced of, causing his arm to pop out of its socket due to the recoil.

"It's impenetrable!" he cried out through his clenched teeth. "How the hell are we supposed to kill it?"

Ananke's mind worked overtime, but she came up with nothing. "Improvise!" she called desperately.

The daughter of Aphrodite drew the lion away from where Emmy stood, trying to find a vulnerable point. She tried the lion's ears, eyes (it just shut them), even its… but nothing worked. Finally, an arrow sunk into the lion's maw when it opened its mouth to roar at Ananke.

The lion turned away from Ananke, who was doing little more than annoying it, to Emmy, who it saw as the biggest threat. It charged the demigod, barreling over Ananke, who was trying to regain the lion's attention.

She looked up from the place where she was lying face-down on the ground just in time to see Emmy desperately try to dodge the lion's swipe. She managed to jump back to avoid the first horizontal sweep, but she was unprepared to evade the second slash, which came vertically.

Ananke screamed in horror as the lion's claws cut three deep gashes from Emmy's forehead to her stomach. Her heard pounded and her head spun. Blood poured from the immobile body of her friend, and the metallic scent was making Ananke sick.

_"Hey!" _she screamed at the lion. _"HEY!" _

The lion turned and roared at the demigod. It had blood staining its front left paw. Ananke saw red. She launched arrow after arrow into the lion's mouth, each one forcing the lion to keep his mouth open. Finally, it exploded into dust.

Ananke fell to all fours and emptied her stomach. The image of Emmy's unidentifiable face was burned into her mind. Tears streamed down her face. She felt misery worse than anything she'd ever felt before, but she also felt like she was dead, too.

Emmy's body shimmered and vanished, and Ananke's lips turned up into a sad, wistful smile.

_The gods kept their promise. _

**x x x **

**Hermes' Shrine**

**Tartarus**

**Unknown Date**

**x x x**

Trevor and Ananke sat side-by-side in shell-shocked silence in Hermes' shrine. Trevor looked stunned, like the floor had just tilted under his feet and sent him sprawling. Ananke's eyes were void of any emotion.

Honestly, she wasn't sure what to feel. She was sad Emmy was dead- of _course _she was. But she was also happy for her friend. She was out of this hellhole (literally) and was in her afterlife. Ananke didn't know too much about the Greek Underworld, but Ananke knew that heroes were always rewarded. Emmy _was _a hero. She would be rewarded in her afterlife, and she would be happy. Ananke felt glad for that, but she also felt a bit jealous. That, of course, made her feel guilty.

There was also the motivation to work harder than ever. Emmy's death had made everything so much more real (not that it wasn't before), but it really shocked Trevor and Ananke into realizing the cold hard truth that, while they had known it beforehand, they hadn't really understood fully: _they were going to die. _Probably violently, brutally, and painfully.

"It's hard to believe she's gone," Trevor said finally. His voice was a hoarse whisper. "She… I- I'm still wait… I'm still waiting for her to walk in here and… and ask us why we're so upset."

Ananke made an indistinguishable noise. "She's happy," the daughter of Aphrodite insisted, as much to convince herself as it was to convince Trevor. She paused for a minute. "I'm sorry, though. I know that you felt something for her."

Trevor laughed bitterly. "Yeah. Now she's dead."

"We're both going to die at some point, too," Ananke reminded her. Finally saying it aloud made it all the more real. "You'll see her again." Ananke fell silent, her eyes losing their dead look and pain and anger leaking in. "We both will."

**x x x**

_so don't hate me too much. _

_i'm sorry for killing emmy. it had to be done. tell me if you think the death scene was realistic… _

_if anyone's really upset that she died, i have a little disclaimer: _

_this story is practically based around the fact that they're going to die. it's basically spelled out in the prophecy, so that's not really a big spoiler. HOWEVER! i DO have plans for this story after they die that still include the three- or ananke, at least. so don't give up on this story yet. i'm really excited for writing the after-tartarus part… REMEMBER: DEATH IS NOT THE END FOR THIS STORY. _

_okay, great. _

_please review! your feedback inspires me to write more and helps me to improve as a writer, which is a major goal of mine. _

_kay x_


	12. Chapter Twelve: Empousa

**Chapter Twelve: Empousa**

**x x x**

_**Princess Andromeda**_

**Atlantic Ocean**

**Unknown Date**

**x x x**

_"I told you so," __were the first things out of Kronos' mouth that night. _

_Ananke wanted to hit him. Somewhere in the back of her mind, she wondered if she could make contact in a dream. _

_Ananke turned her anger into confidence. "And I told you," Ananke said firmly. "I won't help you."_

_"Still?" Kronos raised his eyebrows mockingly. "Even after Emmy?" _

_"Don't say her name," Ananke snapped, showing her anger for the first time. She made an effort to mask it again. "Especially after Emmy." _

_Kronos' eyes widened. "The gods let her die, Ananke Gilbert. She was clawed to pieces, and the gods did nothing." _

_"No," Ananke insisted firmly, so firmly that she caused Kronos to start. It was a very slight twitch, but it was there. "They saved her." _

_Kronos laughed mockingly. "Saved her? She's dead!" _

_Ananke glared at him through her eyelashes. She hadn't seen her face, (holy crap, she hasn't seen her face yet…) so she didn't know if she had an intimidating glare or not. She hoped so. It would be kind of pathetic to try and stare down the Titan Lord of Time looking like a six year old. "You and I both have different ideas of what it means to be saved, then." _

_Kronos shrugged. "It appears so," he said slowly. He looked at Ananke searchingly. "You are unlike any human I've ever met… Well, no, there's that upstart Jackson, but that's besides the point." _

_Ananke frowned in confusion. "Who's Jackson?" _

_The idea seemed to amuse Kronos. "Doesn't matter." He approached Ananke, the look in his eyes making her take two steps backwards. Her back collided with the wall. Kronos reached up and took her chin in between his thumb and forefinger. He pulled it up, forcing Ananke to look at him in the eye. _

_"You're like no other mortal," he said. _

_Ananke wanted to laugh. The words sounded like something from a romance novel, but his tone made them sound mocking and threatening. _

_"I don't understand you at all." He said, his eyes narrowing. He finally stepped away and walked over to the table. He picked up a champagne flute and twirled it in his fingers before letting it drop. It fell soundlessly before hitting the wooden floor and shattering into a million pieces. _

_"I like to think that I am good at breaking mortals," Kronos said finally. "You all are like glass. One good shove and…" Another champagne flute hit the floor. "But you… You shove back." _

_"Thank you," Ananke fired back, raising her chin. _

_Kronos smirked. He picked up another glass- this time one with champagne in it- and sipped some after toasting Ananke. "It kind of makes this body seem that much more pathetic." _

_Ananke's blood ran cold. "This… body? It's not yours?" _

_"No," Kronos laughed cruelly. "It belonged to some demigod." _

_"If that's how you treat all of your followers then I am _really_ not joining you," Ananke snorted triumphantly, thinking that she had finally won the argument. _

_Kronos raised his eyebrows. "Full of surprises." He paused. "No, I won't treat you like that. Trust me. I swear on the Styx, I will reward you for joining me." _

_Thunder boomed, sealing the oath. _

_Ananke's eyes widened, then narrowed again. "I'm going to guess that we both have different ideas of what 'reward' means, too." _

_Kronos shook his head. "No tricks. No manipulation," he took another sip from his glass. "Think about it." _

_He waved a hand and the dream faded away. _

**x x x**

**The Shrine of Hermes **

**Tartarus**

**Unknown Date**

**x x x**

This time, instead of jumping and scaring the living daylights out of her friends, Ananke woke up peacefully. Well, as peacefully as you could when your stomach felt like a soul-sucking pit of emptiness. That feeling never really went away, so she was used to it.

She looked over at Trevor, who was still asleep. He slept fitfully. He would twitch occasionally, and his eyebrows would scrunch together. Ananke let him sleep, though. His nightmares didn't seem that bad as some she'd seen and had in the past, and he needed sleep. Better asleep than awake. When he was asleep, he could forget that Emmy was gone.

Her death was a blow to both Ananke and Trevor, but Trevor was hit the hardest. He'd loved her. Emmy was his best friend. He still had Ananke, but it wasn't the same.

Ananke rose from her bed, kicking her blankets carelessly back onto her bedroll. Ananke pulled her ponytail out and redid it, yawning widely.

This was the time she liked best in Tartarus. The mornings, where she had just woken up, and hadn't realized exactly how miserable she was yet.

She hated it- being miserable. She felt as if she was failing. She _chose _to be down here, and she felt like she should be dealing with her choice better than she was.

_Forget. _

That had been her motto lately. _Forget. _

The smell of breakfast filled the shrine. Ananke smiled brightly and pranced over to the food, grabbing a chocolate muffin and stuffing it in her mouth.

"Is breakfast here?" Trevor murmured into his pillow. Ananke didn't jump at the sudden noise. Her time in Tartarus had given her nerves of steel.

Ananke nodded- her mouth was full- before remembering that Trevor wasn't looking. "Yeah. Come and get it."

"There'd better be whole wheat toast."

"There's not."

**x x x**

**The Central Wasteland**

**Tartarus **

**Unknown Time**

**x x x **

Trevor and Ananke locked eyes meaningfully. They were ready to go out for that day's mission.

Ananke was dressed in her black body suit, her silver armor dented and dull, but it would still function. She didn't exactly have any polish or anything. Her hair was pulled back in a high bun. She generally put it up in a ponytail, but after one fight where the daemon Lamia had grabbed it and pulled, trying to snap her neck (and almost succeeding), Ananke decided that a bun was a better choice.

Trevor wore the same suit, and his bronze armor was no better than hers. His short hair had grown out more so that it was a short afro. Ananke had offered to chop it shorter with her knife, but, so far, Trevor had turned her down. Ananke wasn't sure why, but the only reason that she could come up with was that he didn't trust her.

They stepped out the double doors, and stopped in their tracks.

Before them stood three beautiful women. Ananke's nose wrinkled in disgust while Trevor's Adam's Apple bobbed as he gulped.

All three women had flaming hair. Not flaming_ red- _literally… _flames. _Their blood red eyes shined like embers. It contrasted sharply with their pale, snowy skin. Ananke looked them up and down, before doing a double-take. Her gaze locked onto their strange legs. One leg was metallic, and the other was the leg of some barnyard animal. A goat, maybe? Maybe they were part Satyr?

The three bared their teeth to show vampire-like fangs.

"Great. More enemies that want to eat us," Ananke muttered.

The women's gaze immediately locked onto the daughter of Aphrodite. Two hissed, while the third spoke in a voice that Ananke recognized was laced with extremely potent charmspeak.

"We don't want_ you_,of course," she said, her voice still persuading and calm despite the contempt. The three turned back to Trevor. They licked their lips seductively. "We want _him._ Hey, babe. You wanna have some fun?"

Trevor's eyes widened. They were glassy from the charmspeak.

"I don't think so," Ananke said authoritatively, her voice oozing charmspeak. "You won't hurt him." Charmspeak was more effective when you tried to convince someone to do what you wanted by trying to use what _they _wanted. Show them what they wanted, and they were like putty. Telling them a command that directly contradicted what they wanted was so much less effective, but Ananke needed to trip up the demons (or whatever they were) before they attacked.

She tried her manipulation now that she had a moment to breathe. "I mean, why would you want him? Seriously, you don't want him. He's gay."

Trevor shot her a look like, _I'm going to kill you for this. __  
_

_Play along! _Ananke insisted with her glare.

"He doesn't look gay to me," the demon said, studying the way Trevor reacted to them. Her words were strong, but there was a tinge of doubt in them. For the first time, she seemed thrown.

Ananke gasped. "Oh my gods, you _cannot _say that!" she cried scandalously, her charmspeak at full potency. "You can't say that someone doesn't look gay! You can't judge someone because of how they look! That's, like, super offensive!"

She didn't know if the demons would get her 'teenage girl' lingo, but they seemed to understand. The one in the middle even rolled her eyes. When she responded, her voice sounded like what you'd hear from a stereotypical teenager.

"Don't be an idiot, nerd," she snorted. "Is this how you're trying to save yourself? Like, gods, what the hell have demigods come to?"

"I know, right?" Ananke gasped, playing along. She had absolutely no idea where she was going, and she was worried that she might cause more problems, but, hey, pretty much anything was better than their current situation. "Demigods are so ridiculous. That _stupid _camp of theirs? Oh my gods, it's pathetic."

That really confused the snake women. "You're a demigod, though."

Ananke wrinkled her nose. "Oh, Hades, don't remind me. I'm here, aren't I? I left that stupid camp and came here. I felt more at home with the monsters. You guys are much more fun." She put all her charmspeak into her words. "I'm just like… one of the guys. We should hang out sometime."

Trevor began to inch his way to the left. The demons were so entranced by Ananke's charmspeak that they didn't notice.

"So, are you with Kronos, too?" the demon on the far right asked. "He's recruiting _all _the monsters now. You're not a true monster if you aren't sided with Kronos."

Ananke smirked evilly. "He's made me some offers. I'm holding out till I can get maximum benefit."

"Oooh, you're evil!" the demon squealed. "I like that!"

"Being evil is always a very admirable quality," Ananke said neutrally. "I mean, don't you just love the feeling of manipulating someone like putty, making them do everything you want with just your words?"

The demons didn't say anything, just grinned wickedly.

"They're your little puppets!" Ananke giggled. "Just like you three!"

The demon's eyes widened just as Trevor's sword sliced through their necks in three quick swipes. The demon women burst into yellow dust in succession.

Ananke immediately dropped her act. "Gods, that was horrible," she groaned.

Trevor smirked, still a bit miffed at Ananke telling the demon he was gay. He wasn't angry. He understood that it had saved his life, and he knew that it wasn't something to be offended about (he wasn't, really), but it was one of the stranger and more unexpected things that had happened in Tartarus, and that was saying a lot.

"I don't know. It kind of suited you. You know, the whole 'daughter-of-Aphrodite' thing?"

Ananke scowled. "_That _is an ugly stereotype and you know it."

**x x x**

_i didn't really know how to end that chapter, but i guess it works pretty well… _

_i dont think i went into the emotion of emmy's death deep enough, but i think that it fits the story. death is seen as a good thing in tartarus so while they miss emmy, they are happy for her. _

_honestly i was a little disappointed with the response to emmy's death. after i updated i felt so evil and i think i actually did one of those evil villian laughs like 'muahahaha' but all that i got was a couple reviews about how emmy's death was really sad. don't get me wrong; i appreciate every single one of the __reviews and im glad that you felt something, even if it wasn't as strong as i wanted. whatever. i'll do better next time (an evil laugh will be perfect here). _

_so, keep the reviews coming! like i said i appreciate every single one! they are my motivation to keep going! this story is nothing without you. no that's too cliche. i take that back. but its true. _

_kay x_


	13. Chapter Thirteen: Nyx and Her Daughters

**Chapter Thirteen: Nyx and her Children **

**x x x**

**Upper Cliffs **

**Tartarus**

**Unknown Date **

**x x x**

Time passed in Tartarus, but Ananke hardly noticed. She would sleep, then wake up, go hunt monsters, then return to Hermes' shrine and restart the cycle all over again. The only sign that any time was passing at all was the new tally mark added on a wall, where they counted every time they slept. So far, there were 284 tally marks. Whether or not that was the equivalent of 284 days, Ananke didn't know.

As the time went on, the daughter of Aphrodite found herself getting more and more powerful. She could charmspeak most monsters easily, and those she couldn't would swiftly meet their end at the hand of _A__ió̱nios. _

She and Trevor became even more fluid together. They could accurately predict what the other would do a hundred percent of the time. They were a well-oiled machine with each part in perfect position.

They were well-known throughout not just all of Tartarus, but on the earth among the monsters as well. A few accidental dreams of the _Princess Andromeda _showed that. Ananke had seen Kronos and some monsters complaining about the work she and Trevor had been doing. Ananke could only smile smugly when she heard that. The downside was that more and more monsters were seeking them out, and the monsters were getting harder to beat. No creature had dared to breach the walls of Hermes' shrine yet, but Ananke and Trevor secretly worried about the day when they were no longer safe in their 'home'. Neither voiced their concern out loud, but both knew that the fear was shared.

In that moment, Ananke and Trevor were near the River Phlegethon and a sheer cliff face that dropped off into nothingness that seemed to twist Ananke's stomach with the sheer dominion it exerted.

A few harpies had come up to challenge them, but they were quickly destroyed. To the experienced and veteran demigods, they were a warm-up.

As soon as the last harpy exploded with a screech and a shower of feathers, a new batch of monsters emerged, flying down from whatever roof was above Tartarus. They looked somewhat similar to the harpies and to Hades' Furies (who Ananke faintly remembering seeing when the Lord of the Dead had escorted them to the mouth of Tartarus). They each had batlike wings, brass talons, and red eyes that glared evily- even psychotically. They were built like old hags, with wrinkly skin. At the beginning, there were only three of the demonic hag ladies, but they began to multiply, the rate of accumulation growing faster and faster as time went on. Eventually, there were about a couple hundred copies of the demons.

Ananke and Trevor stared open-mouthed at the army they faced. Sure, they were _good, _but definitely not _that _good. They were going to die, for sure.

Ananke, in a desperate attempt to delay the inevitable, spoke up. "So, what are you, anyway?" Her voice was croaky and barely audible.

The demons heard anyway. _We are the_ arai_!_ they screeched. _Bringers of curses, topplers of the mighty!_ Ananke didn't know which monster was the speaker since none of their mouths moved. She grimaced; it was easier to charmspeak a group of monsters when she knew the power hierarchy.

Trevor and Ananke exchanged glances that communicated to both that neither had any knowledge of these monsters.

"Curses?" Ananke wondered. _Keep them talking, _she reminded herself. "What do you mean?"

_We bring curses to those who have wronged others. They are served their revenge, and they kneel before us in surrender! _

"You… bring curses?" Trevor wondered.

_We serve the bitter and the defeated, _the unknown arai hissed. _We serve the slain who pray for vengeance with their final breath. We have many curses to share with you. _

Ananke had just enough time to think, _"Oh, shit, this is bad," _before the _arai _charged- all of them, all at once. Within seconds, the two demigods were surrounded. Over the screeching of the demons, Ananke's charmspeak was inaudible and useless. She still tried to use it a bit to slow them down though, yelling things like, "_Stop!" _or _"Look! Behind you!" _

As soon as Ananke's sword passed through the stomach of the first demon, making it explode into dust, she realized just how truly and utterly screwed they were. A paralyzing pain overtook her, centering in her forearm, where Echidna had etched her fatal flaw. The mother of all monsters' words were floating around Ananke's head again, causing it to spin. She used Trevor to remain upright as she nearly took a nose dive straight into the harsh ground of Tartarus.

"We can't kill them!" Ananke gasped. "That's how they curse us!"

Her warning was a little late. Trevor impaled an _arai _through the chest, and his knees immediately buckled. He clutched his chest in pain.

_The curses of Echidna and Oreus, _the _arai _hissed. Now that the two demigods were defeated, the demons seemed to be backing off and letting them suffer instead of coming right up and killing them. Ananke knew it was only a matter of time, though.

It's said that when you're dying, your whole life flashes before your eyes, but all Ananke could see were stars. It was the same feeling as if she had rubbed her eyes for too long using too much pressure.

The _arai _cackled. _We have finally toppled the legened Heroes of Tartarus! All monsters will bow before us! _

"What did I tell you about world domination?" a dark voice suddenly snapped.

The whole clearing was filling with both dark mist and bright light eminating from two figures standing behind the crowd of _arai, _who immedietly parted to show the demigods. They reverted back into three demons, instead of hundreds.

_Not to do it yet_, the _arai _said. They sounded sheepish. _Sorry, mother. _

Through her pain, Ananke looked up at the two figures. The first was a woman that looked to be made out of closely compacted smoke. Her dress was the darkest, purest shade of black that the daughter of Aphrodite had ever seen, and had nebulas sprinkled on it like deranged polka dots. Her face was practically indistinguishable, but two bright points that were undoubtably her eyes shined underneath a halo of smoky hair. Her gigantic bat like wings, also made of smoke, spread the smoky darkness across the clearing every time they fluttered.

The second woman was the polar opposite of the first. She exuded light, and the demigods were almost blinded. They hadn't seen anything this bright since they had entered Tartarus. Her long, pure gold hair was perfectly curled in wide ringlets, pulled back from her angelic face, where she had two eyes that were completely golden yellow- pupil, iris, and white, all golden. She wore a white _chiton _that shimmered as she moved. She had a smaller pair of angel wings on her back.

It was hard to see any sort of emotion in either of their eyes, but the second waved her hand and the pain immediately evaporated.

Ananke slumped down to her hands and knees in relief. The voice of Echidna was finally gone from her head, and it felt like a migrane had suddenly vanished. Slowly, she rose, not wanting to be at the feet of anyone, no matter how powerful they might be.

"Thank you," Ananke said quietly. "Why did you save us?"

The first woman, the one made of smoke, regarded them. Ananke couldn't discern her expression. "Saved you?" she repeated finally. "No. We did not save you. We only prolonged the inevitable."

Ananke decided it was best just to agree. "Yes."

Neither spoke for a minute.

The light woman spoke up finally. "You are brave, demigods, coming here of your own free will. Many of your bretheren would not have done the same."

"No," Ananke said. She and Trevor had come to an agreement that Ananke would be the speaker in situations such as this, or when they had to reason with monsters. She was more professional, and her charmspeak gave her an edge. "We decided to come, though. It was the right choice."

The woman inclined her head. "That, I believe, is yet to be decided. But you have done well so far nonetheless."

"Thank you," Ananke repeated. She hesitated. She wanted to ask _who are you, _but she'd learned that immortals would become offended when asked that question most of the time. "I mean no offense, but I haven't learned much about my heritage as a demigod. I am terribly sorry, but could you please introduce yourselves?"

"I am Nyx!" the first exclaimed. She spread her wings, sending more smoke billowing through the clearing. "Primordial goddess of dark!"

"Don't be so dramatic, Mother," the second scolded quietly. "I am Hemera, the primordial goddess of day," she said simply.

"It is an honor to meet you," Ananke said, bowing respectfully, hoping to make up for any possible insult that her question had inflicted. "Why did you help us? We are in Tartarus. Like you said, you just prolonged the inevitable. Why would you save us if we're going to die anyway?"

Both goddesses considered this. "We wanted to meet you," Nyx said easily. "Normally, I am in Tartarus during the day, and I leave at night, while my daughter Hemera does the opposite. But it is dusk right now, the time when I leave and she comes. As we were both here, we decided to seek you out."

Ananke wasn't sure what to say. She didn't think that having two all-powerful primordial goddesses seek you out was a good thing, but, then again, neither Hemera nor Nyx seemed overly aggressive.

"We wanted to see the demigods who had willingly chosen to reside… here," Hemera elaborated, gesturing around her. "You do not know how much of a stir you have caused in our world. Every god and every monster knows who you are."

"Oh," Ananke gasped. She had chosen to enter Tartarus because it was what was right, not for fame. She hadn't really expected her prestige. Now that she had it, she wasn't sure what to think. "Really?"

Nyx nodded once in confirmation.

"Oh," Ananke repeated.

Hemera's lips turned up a fraction. "You are modest. That is good."

"Uh, thanks." Ananke exchanged glances with Trevor, who looked as dumbstruck as she did.

Hemera spoke up again. "We will leave you now. It was an honor to meet you, Ananke Gilbert, and you, Trevor Oakley."

The two deities vanished in a shower of light and smoke, leaving two stunned demigods in their wake.

**x x x**

_here is chapter… what chapter am i on? oh well. anyway, its a bit shorter than the others, so sorry about that, but i wanted to end it there. _

_so in case you didn't know, there's this program called camp nanowrimo (- that stands for NAtional NOvel WRIting MOnth or something like that) which i'm doing, so i won't be posting as often until august. (of course, if i get a lot of support and reviews i might make an exception… *wink wink*) _

_tell me what you thought! _

_kay x_


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